LoZ The Legacy of Myriad
by GieGie
Summary: Two children bound by fate will find both the truth of their pasts and the direction of their futures with the awakening of a powerful sage named Myriad. More information in the prologue chapter! Adult Content - LinkxZelda - R&R and enjoy!
1. Prologue

**Legend of Zelda - The Legacy of Myriad**

_Author's Note:_ _I decided to start working on this fan fiction after some slight deliberation of new projects I could work on due to old ones drying up on me in the motivation area. Considering the fact that I'm a long time LOZ fan (since I was 6 years old in fact, Link was my first video game crush XD!) I talked about this with a friend of mine and decided to go ahead and get the ideas down that we'd come up with. But once I started, I couldn't stop, and here it is, a probably much overdue (considering how many fan fictions I write for other games) Legend of Zelda fic w00t!_

_This fic is for fans of Het, let me specify that first and foremost since I know several people in these parts prefer the Yaoi genre. Sorry, not my cup of tea there. In saying so however, the major couple of the story is LinkxZelda. So if you disagree with this OTP, please don't read this story. It'll cause heartburn. =\_

_This said, yes, this story is for mature audiences. Due to the medieval fantasy genre, I've toned down the cursing a bit, however the situations are still adult in nature, so if you're younger than 17 or so, and haven't had the birds and the bees chat with mommy and daddy, then you might not want to read this, or if you're just easily offended by gore and violence oO!_

_Lastly, Link does speak in my story, and for his personality, I've of course drawn from his actions in the games and other such sources, and also added a quirk or two of my own to his persona since fan fiction is all about taking liberties, otherwise you'd never get a fan fiction written at all. For instance, I know he's a noble guy and all, but I seriously just can't imagine the guy to be completely boy scoutish one hundred percent of the time, so I've added a few traits here and there such as mischievousness and a little bit of arrogance to make him much more interesting xD! But if anyone sees anything I can improve on in his character, then please feel free to point it out and we'll see what's what._

_Sorry for the long note guys! And don't worry, I'm not going to be adding notes to every chapter, just wanted to get all of that out up there so you guys can be warned beforehand incase this fic isn't up your alley!_

_Legend of Zelda and all canon characters are copyright Nintendo and their creators, and I take no credit for them myself, just for the original characters I've come up with in this story! Thanks! ^^_

_Prologue_

Rains beating down over the canopy of trees caused the leaves to turn up, their lighter undersides coloring the forest a bit brighter in the cloaked night of clouds than normal. The rain shower was a refreshing one on the long journey, the cloaked rider heading up a path and toward a village where her riding would finally end.

Eventually, the horse reached the front door of a home, one in which opened to reveal a young man and woman, both with brown hair. They watched the rider dismounting, carrying a somewhat large, waterproof basket toward them made of wicker materials. Cooing could be heard coming from inside, and lifting the basket up, the rider warned them of the weight, so both the man and the woman took it as to not drop it.

She told them she could not stay. Pitter-patter of raindrops sounded in a frenzy as the wind picked up for a brief moment while the rider who'd dropped the basket off at the couples door remounted her horse and turned to take off in a hurry seemingly.

Shutting the door, the couple headed inside and carefully sat the basket on the counter, untying the lid and pulling it away.

Inside, wrapped in soft sheets and laying on pillows, were a pair of babies, both with cutely pointed ears, the ears not of Eves, but of Hylians. The boy was older than the girl by just a few months, but both of them were staring in awe at their new surroundings, the little girl kicking her legs beneath the sheets excitedly, her tuft of blonde hair messy from the pillows she'd been laying in.

Between them was a scroll, and the husband lifted it and unrolled the paper, reading what the words said.

_Adoptive Parents_

_I regret that I cannot stay to be sure the children are settled in well. Forces are at work that I must attend to, so this letter will have to suffice._

_The little boy's name is Link, and he is older by three months than the girl, they are not related by any means save for their Hylian blood. The girl's name is Mira, and it is important that you find the amulet I've enclosed with them in the basket, wrapped in the sheets for safe keeping. This amulet is from her real parents, and needs to be kept safe and hidden from others save you and her adoptive brother._

_Keep them in the village, and keep them safe. Though young, they already have a history together, and while trouble is not foreseen, it may be wise to be wary around guards from Hyrule Castle. You can never be too sure whom is watching._

_These children will eventually find their true purposes when Myriad returns. Until then, they need what you can provide, love and a normal, happy life. Rest assured that I will return when the time is right to assist them both in their adolescent lives. Once you've read this letter, please be sure to destroy it so there are no ties between the children and the evil brewing in their homeland save the amulet passed on from Mira's family._

_Well Wishes_

_Impa_


	2. Happen Chance

_Chapter 1 - Happen Chance_

"Mira!"

The name was yelled again, then again. The sun was shining down on the scene, a field outside of a small village named Kakariko. Mayflies were swooping about here and there as a young girl lifted her head from where she'd been crouched in the grass, her hair flipping over, a blonde that had been bronzed by the sun, falling around her outward pointed ears. Hearing her name again and again, Mira gasped and pushed herself up, running to where the sound was coming from.

"What!?"

As she made her way through the tall strands of plant life sprouting up from the earth, she saw the boy who'd been calling her name up ahead, crouched down behind a rock. Turning, looking at her, his own ears just as pointed, hair a more yellow blonde than her own contained somewhat within a green windsock hat, she watch him putting his finger up to his lips, which quieted her down until she'd reached him.

Crouching down behind the rock, she stared at him, her violet blue eyes curious over what he wanted as he lifted himself back up again and looked over the rock they were hidden behind.

"Look Mira, just over there."

Mira lifted her head to the side, looking in the direction that he was, her brows narrowing as she watched a bit, quietly. Finally, she saw it, lifting from the grass, drifting in a flutter over the tall strands, a purple glow making it look like a little orb with wings. Mira's eyes went wide and she smiled brightly.

"It's a fairy!"

"I know, I wanna catch it."

Hearing the words, Mira's brows narrowed and she reached up and grabbed the boy's arm, pulling him back down next to herself. "You can't capture it, Link! That's mean!"

"No it's not, I don't wanna keep it," he replied, looking back over the rock, then across at her, "I just want to catch it and set it free at the fishing pond. Alma said there was a fairy cave near it. If we do that, it can get back home, and we can say we caught a fairy too."

Mira, despite somewhat disagreeing with the idea of catching it, couldn't help her smile over his words. But the question was how did they catch it? The seven year old pursed her lips and looked back around the rock in thought, blinking as the fairy slowly drifted about, never getting too far away, staying relatively close.

"Error has a net. But if we go get it, the fairy will be gone when we get back. Not to mention Error will ask too many questions." Mira glanced up at Link, nearly on top of the rock by that time, and then she grinned and reached up, pulling his windsock off.

"Hey!," Link exclaimed, caught by surprise as Mira snickered at him, and she held it up, saying, "Use this! We can tie it to a stick so we can sneak up on it easier."

"But the end might close." He pointed out, "I mean, waving it on a stick won't keep it open."

"Hmm," Mira drew out, then she snickered and said, "wait, here, I have a better idea."

Link grinned back at her and took his hat from her fingers, waiting to see what his fellow seven year old's idea was. Just a short while later, he was waiting and watching from his hiding spot as Mira had ran the long way around and come out of the slightly distant trees opposite of the direction the rock was in and then she started heading toward the fairy slowly.

The fairy didn't move much until she neared it, drifting away from her, and the closer she got, the more speed it gained. Mira took careful steps to the side whenever it drifted the wrong way in order to keep it going toward the rock her friend was currently stationed behind, and once she had it going in the right direction, she asked, "Ready, Link!?"

His voice sounded from behind the rock, "Ready!"

"Okay, here I come!"

Mira moved toward the fairy at a bit faster of a pace, and the little creature started flying toward the rock, heading over it. Link, as he watched, lifting his hands up and the fairy flew right into his outstretched hat, Mira coming to a stop at the other side of the rock when Link closed his hat around the glowing orb of purple light, and she asked, "Did you get it!?"

She couldn't see for certain, the rock just a slight bit too high, and Link poked his head over the top and held the hat out in one hand, grinning nearly from ear to ear at her, "Yep!"

Giggling, Mira told him, "I'll race you to the pond!"

With those words spoken, the two jumped away from the rock and started running through the grass, laughing and teasing each other about being slow the entire way there, Link carefully toting his hat along in his hands as to not jar the fairy, saying it wasn't fair because he had cargo and she didn't, which only made Mira laugh. Continuing on, through a thin shroud of trees and bushes, they arrived at the fishing pond, which was a good bit bigger than normal ponds, the circumference cut off on the sides by rocks and bushes, making the opposite side impossible to reach by the young children.

Stopping, breathing somewhat heavily, Mira looked back as Link reached her finally, and she grinned, asking, "Do you i_really/i_ think there's a fairy cave over there?"

"Seems like as good a place as any to let the fairy go safely," Link replied, "even if there isn't, it can just fly over the water and get away from anyone else trying to catch it."

Mira smiled and she reached for his hat. Letting her take it, she slowly lifted it to her ear and listened. The motion made Link narrow his brows curiously, asking, "What do you hear?"

Giggling, the little blonde girl replied, "Tinkling, like bells. Listen."

Link moved over and leaned in closely, listening from the other side of his hat. Surely enough, when he did so, he could hear the fairy's wings fluttering on and off, which sounded like a bell tinkling from time to time, and he smiled. "Neat."

Mira nodded and then she lowered the hat again. "That was fun. Should we let it go now?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to say we caught it."

"And if we take it to the village, someone might try to take it from us." Mira added the words, then she let him take one side of the hat and pull it open. As the green clothe drew apart, the two children watched the purple fairy lift up, floating out of the hat slowly. It didn't seem to be trying to escape them anymore, and instead, just floated there in midair. Closer now, they could see a tiny face settled within the glow, with long hair, that of a girl's face, and they both heard her giggling softly before she took off and flew over the water somewhat quickly, disappearing from sight.

"I think she was laughing about it!," Link commented as he watched the fairy disappearing. "They're right, fairies do like fun and games."

"I'm glad she wasn't mad. She was pretty. I wonder if she has a name."

Link seemed to consider that question for a moment before he looked at Mira, watching her looking across the pond quietly in thought herself. Not commenting on it however, he just shrugged, then leaned down to grab a rock from the dirt settled near his feet. The movement caught Mira's attention and she watched him turning and throwing the rock with a flick of his wrist, trying to skip it across the surface of the water.

The rock just plopped into the pool however, and Mira smirked. He never had been much good at that. But Link was good at other things, and one day he'd get the hang of it, she figured. Mira had always had faith in his abilities, and she looked up to him because he had a strong heart and tried to take care of her the way their adoptive father had. He was a bit older by a few months anyway, so maybe he just figured it was his job.

That's when he spoke, interrupting her thoughts, "Alma will probably come out here for us pretty soon. It's getting close to evening time."

"Yes," Mira replied, sitting down on the shore, pursing her lips to the side with a soft breath. "I don't want to go in yet though."

"Me either. If she comes out here, we can hide and pretend we're somewhere else," he offered with a grin.

"You're a troublemaker, Link," Mira told him, looking up to watch him throw another rock at the pond, smiling about it. "But as long as we're back before too much longer, I don't think it would hurt if we did."

"Nope," Link agreed, finally sitting down beside of his friend and settling his hat back onto his head. The two children were orphans, adopted by a woman in Kakariko Village named Alma when they were just babies, now both seven years of age. Alma was a widow, her husband having died only a few years ago, so it was really just the three of them now.

Several times, Link and Mira found themselves doing these types of things together. There were other children in the village of course, but not always did they like to play together. The reason was that Link and Mira, unlike everyone else, had pointed ears sticking out from the sides of their heads. It wasn't the mark of a typical elf, but rather that of a Hylian, the royals and their citizens of Hyrule chosen by the Goddesses, but an odd mark that was just a point to pick on in the eyes of other children. The two orphans had grown up like brother and sister, and were treated by others as such, but the honest truth was that they had no idea if they were actually related or not.

Alma said no. The people she adopted them from told her they were not kin, but the real truth could have been different, who knew? Hopefully, both of the children would be able to find out for themselves one day. Alma told them that the truth would more than likely come back, and both children hoped she was right, curious about their pasts.

As they sat, quietly watching the pond, a few fish jumping from the surface here and there sporadically, Mira narrowed her brows and looked up, then back behind them and outside of the grove of trees the fishing pond was settled in. Link glanced over at her, then back in the direction she was looking, and he asked, "What is it?"

"I," she started, drawing the word out a bit, "I thought I heard horses."

"Horses? Do you think someone's coming to visit?"

"I don't know, maybe. We should hide just incase."

"Why?"

Mira looked at Link when he asked her the inquisitive question, and she admitted, "I don't know, I just don't feel good about it."

Mira, unlike Link, seemed to have an intuitive nature when it came to both empathy and to knowing when something was wrong. From time to time she got a bad feeling about something, and Link usually avoided it to keep her both happy and from worrying. Not to mention, as he'd learned, she was usually right. Pushing himself up, he reached out to take her hand and help her up as well, and pulled her along to go hide with her behind a few of the taller bushes that grew near the pond, waiting to see if she were right as they both crouched down beneath the branches.

Both of them could hear a horse whinnying at about that point in time, and Link commented, "I guess you did hear some horses. Wonder who they are."

Mira shook her head. "They could just be travelers, I don't know, but I don't like it."

Link let a little sigh, and he looked over at Mira who'd been just as focused on her watching as he had, seeing the amulet she wore hanging out of the neckline of her deep purple dress. So he pointed it out to her. "Your necklace is hanging out, Mira."

"Oh," she looked down and took it, putting it back inside of her collar to hide it. Mira was fiercely protective of the amulet she wore which consisted of a silver chain and a blue gem embedded into the center with a strange marking of triangles across the back of the medallion that she had no clue the meaning of. It was the only thing she had of her true parents however, and Mira didn't want to lose it, but she also wanted to always wear it. So she kept it inside of her clothing always.

"Thank you," she whispered, still watching with him. Link didn't make a verbal reply, just nodding his head simply, and that's when they saw the hooves of a horse trotting slowly past where they were hidden. Both of them gasped softly and looked up through the thick, dense web of stems and leaves in the bushes to try and get a look at the face of the rider, but he was hard to see. After a moment though, they thought they could make out the fact that he was wearing armor, his steed a black color with a white mane, and Mira blinked a few times.

"Is he from the castle?" Link asked quietly.

"I think so," she replied, her thoughts having been almost the exact same thing.

"Why is a guard all the way out here?"

All Mira could do was shake her head in confusion. Both of them stayed where they were though, somehow knowing that it was good they'd hidden. If the guard was just passing by, there was no need to stop him, and if he was heading into the village, he could be looking for someone, and the two children didn't think they could have helped him at all, nor did they want to, intimidated by the thought due to what Alma had told them both about guards from Hyrule Castle.

As the rider made his way past, they stayed where they were for the time being incase he returned, and Link sat down, turning to face his friend, suddenly offering her a little smile. Mira wondered what the look was for, and she shook her head, "What?"

"I just think it's funny."

"What's funny?"

"He never knew we were here," Link grinned, apparently feeling somewhat accomplished. "We could sneak up on him if we wanted to."

"Oh yeah, and do what exactly?" Mira asked cutely, folding her arms over her chest as she sat down and interrogated him for more information humorously.

"I don't know, anything. Throw a mud pie at him," Link started snickering, trying to keep quiet still incase the guard returned to their location. "Whatever we wanted to."

Mira snickered at the talk of mud pies though she tried to hide it and she told him, "He'd put you in the castle dungeon for that."

"He'd have to catch me first," the seven year old grinned confidently, "and I'm pretty fast."

"He's faster I bet."

"Nah, that armor's probably heavy. It'd weigh him down."

Mira rolled her eyes, but somehow she figured he was right. Not to mention they were both so much smaller than the man, Link would definitely be hard to catch. But she only shrugged as if she weren't going to concede to him nor deny him what he'd just considered was right aloud, and she started thinking about where the guard was from. Hyrule Castle, no doubt a glorious sight to see. She wondered if it was as white and pristine as in her dreams, and she also wondered if her parents were still there, waiting for her, or maybe they didn't know she was even alive at all. But Mira didn't want to consider that, it saddened her too much to, so she just pushed it away from her thoughts completely.

But that guard. He was from the castle. Wouldn't he know? Well, maybe not about their parents, but he _icould/i_ know _isomething/i_ interesting, right? The sudden look of thought on her face made Link ask her what she was thinking about.

"That guard is from the castle, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well," she started, "wouldn't he know more about us maybe? I mean, maybe he knows someone living in the palace that lost children seven years ago, and we could ask him, couldn't we?"

Link wrinkled his nose and looked back to the direction the rider had trotted off to. "I don't know, Mira. Alma told us if we ever saw any castle guards that we should be wary because they're mean to regular people."

"I know," Mira replied, "but we've never even seen one out here until now. This could be our only chance. I don't want to disobey Alma, but I want to know where I really came from."

Link sighed. He could see in the young girl's eyes that she was very intent on knowing all of this, gazing at him hopefully, and he looked away for a moment, considering it. If Mira wanted it, he'd do whatever it took to make sure she got it, to help her, but he was also concerned for her in this instance. Though, that concern was almost overrun by his own desire to know more about his own past, and he finally grumbled and stood up.

"Okay, let's go find him, but I don't know how good of an idea this is. If he gets mean to us, I'm gonna get mean back."

Mira smiled, both excited and humored at Link's words, and she grabbed his hand. "Let's go," she said as she pulled him out of the bushes and started making her way down the path with him to find the rider from the castle so they could ask him some questions. Moving along, seeing a few of the homes of the village in the distance, they spotted the horse finally, and came to a stop, seeing that the rider was no longer on it's back.

Both Link and Mira stood there quietly, Alma and a few other villagers out with her, speaking to the man whom was holding the reigns of his horse, and they both ducked to the side behind the cover of a few trees to get out of sight and listen in on the conversation at hand.

"How could this have happened!?"

Alma's question had sounded when they hid, and the rider's unfamiliar voice spoke, "It was a tragedy, to be sure. Though Hyrule now rests in capable hands. Still and yet, we're visiting the homes of our citizens to give them the news and to be sure of their fealty to the new King despite his young age."

"Isn't that a bit insulting?," asked one of the villagers, "He's the son of the King, and now the rightful ruler. Of course we're loyal to him, even if he's only eight years old."

"It is not meant as insult. The death of the King and Queen was untimely, and many are unsettled. Have your people called to the Village Square. I need to make the announcement formally."

Link and Mira shared a look when they heard all of this. Knowing now why the guard was here, and the news being as tragic as it was, they both forgot what they'd been originally wanting to ask him for the time being. Somehow, the news of the King and Queen's death, even if they were only children, made them both understand that things were fairly important here. Especially Mira. She felt bad hearing the news, and she frowned as she looked down at the ground beneath her feet.

Link put his hand on her shoulder for comfort, letting her turn to hug him, and when she did, they both heard Alma saying, "I'll need to find my children. Mae, go help them gather everyone at the square."

"Come on," Link told Mira, "let's go now and save her the trouble."

"Alright," Mira replied, leaving to go with Link like he'd suggested. Turning, her hand in his, she stepped out behind him and they started heading slowly toward the scene, the rider pulling on the reigns of his horse as he walked in behind the villagers whom were heading to their square. Alma had turned to go to the field where she knew Link and Mira liked to play, and she stopped with a soft gasp when she saw them both walking up.

"Link, Mira, I was just about to go looking for you."

The rider stopped and looked back when he heard the woman's voice, watching as the children stopped before her as she leaned down to hug and kiss each one of them, the little boy speaking up, "We know, we heard everything. We were just heading home."

Mira nodded in agreement, deciding to pretend she wasn't as upset by the news as she had been, and she told Alma, "Link caught a fairy."

"You helped." He piped up.

Alma smiled brightly at them both and asked, "Really? Where did you find it?"

"In the field," Link replied, "we set it free at the fishing pond so it could go home."

"Well that's nice of you," Alma smirked, patting Link's head before she stood up and took both of their hands, "but we need to go to the Square now. There's going to be an announcement made to everyone."

The children nodded, and Mira looked up at Alma, asking, "Why did the King and Queen die?"

Alma parted her lips with a soft breath, trying to think of the best way to answer the child, when the royal guard, moving up behind her slowly, interrupted them. "It was illness that took them. These are you children?" He asked Alma as he came toward them.

Turning, with a proud smile, Alma nodded her head, "Yes, adopted when they were still babies."

The man nodded slowly to her explanation, turning his face down to look at them both, "A strapping young man and a lovely young lady. You must be proud of them."

"Oh I am," Alma started as the man looked from one child to the other. While she told him of her pride over them, his eyes settled on Mira, and she just stared up at him with a flat expression on her face, one that Link couldn't help but pick up on. He also noticed how the guard was looking at her as well. As Alma spoke, he walked over and stood in front of Mira, his brows narrowed up at the man, a warning expression from the boy to leave the little girl alone. The man seemed to smirk in a scoffing manner at the look however and just turned his own face back to Alma.

"Well, it's good to see they're so well taken care of," he told her, then added, "I'll see you three in the Square though. Duty calls."

"Of course," Alma nodded, watching the guard as he turned to leave once again with his horse, and she turned to look down at her children. "Are you two ready?"

Link didn't look very happy, and seeing his expression, Alma shook her head, "What's wrong, Link?"

"I don't like him."

"Neither do I," Mira added.

"Why not?"

"He was looking at us funny," came Link's response.

Alma sighed, then she crouched down so that she was more even with the two children, looking at them both before saying, "Well, you're Hylian. He was probably confused at first."

"No," Mira shook her head, "he didn't look confused. He looked," she frowned, then hit her fist against her hip as she thought. Finally her violet blue eyes raised and she said, "Interested."

"Well, I'm sure he was, but if it makes you feel better, I'll let you stay home."

"No, we wanna go with you," Link told her, "and stay together."

With a sigh, then a nod, Alma told them both, "Alright. Then we'll all go. Come on," she smiled, trying to comfort them both, supposing perhaps the wariness she'd aroused in them over the royal guards had caused this type of reaction. Alma had to say herself that she wasn't too sure what to think, after all, she could easily remember what she was told of the children when she'd adopted them, that it was important they were raised together, because they already had a history when she'd taken them in.

But this guard wasn't here for them, he was simply delivering a message. Either way, she wanted to pay extra special attention to the things they said now, leading them both off to go to the Village Square and have their meeting. She only hoped on the way there that things wouldn't turn out badly.


	3. To My Friend

_Chapter 2 - To My Friend_

The Villagers had come out as they'd been called, and met at the Square, awaiting the announcement. Kakariko Village was a good distance from Hyrule Castle, not too far, but it was one of the ones that was farther away, so news such as this was rarely ever ignored by anyone. The town itself was one of the bigger ones however, had grown to become so over the years, and for this reason, the people there were fairly content, and the surroundings were comfortable.

The Stablemaster's son, a young lad named Tallor, was holding the reigns of the Royal Guard's horse as he stepped up before the people, using a crate to give himself more height so that everyone could see him. Alma walked into the Square with Link and Mira, as Mae, a close friend of Alma's, reached down and offered to hoist Link up onto her shoulders so he could see better. Accepting her offer, Mira let Alma lift her up from the ground as well, both children being piggybacked.

Link held on as Mae stood up straight again, allowing him to see above the heads of the villagers before himself. He looked over at Mira briefly, sitting on Alma's back in the same manner, and gave her a little smile which she returned to him quietly, before he looked down to see a group of children with their parents walking a slight bit away from them. Mira saw the look Link was giving them, and she turned her head to see them raising their fists to the sides of their heads and holding their fingers pointed out with funny faces as if to mock them because of their ears.

Link grumbled slightly, and Mira looked over at him, shaking her head, "Let them be annoying brats, we're cuter than they are."

Link grinned over the words and then he heard the Royal Guard speaking, getting their attention and breaking through the insulting event that had just taken place. Both children looked ahead at the man, and his words informed everyone of the King and Queen's untimely demise as Link and Mira had already been privy to earlier on the forest path.

"Good citizens, my name is Casimir Cordivus, and I've been sent to you today to inform you all of the death of the King and Queen of Hyrule." A slight bit of chattering and gasping took place with the people, and he went on, "They recently fell ill, and there was no medicine to save them, though our best sages tried to. Proceeding them both is their young son, Ganondorf, whom isn't yet old enough to fully rule the Kingdom, but where he is lacking in age, he will be aided by the courts and advisors."

More chattering ensued, and Casimir got quiet for a moment in order to allow them to speak. When they'd gone on for long enough however he lifted his hand back up and got their attention again. "The new King needs support from his people, especially at this point in his life time, and has asked that all of his citizens who are loyal renew their fealty. Normally, no, this wouldn't be an issue, however there's been rumors of revolts, unsettled peoples in villages throughout the kingdom that have been said to be planning rebellion. Because of this, and due to the distance between Kakariko Village and the Castle of Hyrule, there may be visits here that are less than welcome from those dwelling outside of our cause. We have to be sure each Village is still loyal."

Link and Mira exchanged a look. Even though the talk was more adult in nature, they still understood most of what the man had meant, though Mira asked, "Does rebellion mean a fight?"

Alma sighed out her breath, then decided to answer her daughter honestly, "Yes, Mira. It does."

The little girl narrowed her brows in confusion, wondering why someone would want to fight a child. If he was the King and Queen's son, then wasn't he supposed to take over the crown if they were gone? Like clockwork, someone else asked the same question. "Why would anyone want to rebel against the king's son!?" A man from across the crowd asked, drawing everyone's attention before they looked back to Casimir for the answer.

"Because rumors have spread, evil lies twisted to make our future king look bad to his people. But don't worry, good citizens, all of this is a distant matter from you as long as you have faith in your kingdom. I'll need you all to sign this proclamation. The children here under ten years of age needn't worry of having their afternoon play time interrupted either. They can go back to their game duties without worry of signing their names."

Casimir grinned as he said that, and several people chuckled over the words. Alma looked over at Link and smiled at him, asking, "Would you like to take Mira back out for a little while longer while I re-pledge my fealty?"

Link looked at Mira who nodded at him, and then he nodded at Alma in turn, "Yeah, we'll go find something to do."

"Good," Alma leaned over and kissed his cheek, then let Mira kiss hers, and she and Mae set the children down on the ground. Once they had, she told them both, "Stick close to one another, and try to stay away from the Square and close to home, alright?"

"Yes ma'am," they both replied simultaneously and went to go where they were told to. The other children were leaving as well, unless they were ten or older, and as the two walked, Mira sighed out her breath. She couldn't stop feeling as if this was all wrong, and casually, she voiced her thoughts to Link as they walked.

"I don't feel good about this at all. And I don't want Alma to sign that paper."

"Why not?"

With a shrug, Mira just pursed her lips and looked at Link. The look told him she wasn't completely sure why, it was just one of her feelings, but he knew as well as she did that there was nothing either of them could do about it. They were too young, and this was an adult issue, so they would just have to let it be, at least, for the time being.

Heading around some of the buildings toward a few houses and past them, they heard laughter, drawing them both out of their thoughts. The children were all playing with a ball, a game of bouncing it back and forth between each other without letting it hit the ground, the same children as before who'd been picking on Mira and Link's ears. Their leader's name was Sam, he was the oldest at almost nine and a half, a boy with orange red hair and freckles. The other two were Rowe and Ranald, brothers that lived fairly close to Link and Mira, and while Rowe joined in on picking at them, usually Ranald never spoke one bit, and sometimes just seemed to tag along because Rowe was his brother.

Hoping they could make it past the trio without a problem, their hopes were dashed when Sam started calling out to them.

"Look, it's big ears and tag along!"

Mira sighed, rolling her eyes a slight bit, and she took Link's hand without realizing it. She did that from time to time when she was annoyed, and she whispered, "Just ignore them."

"I'm trying to," he replied as he continued on with her, and didn't look at them, though the annoyance was visible on his face.

"What's wrong!?" Rowe called out to them, "You should be able to hear us with those big ears you both have!"

"Yeah! And look how they're holding hands. They think they're boyfriend and girlfriend!"

At the resounding 'ew' the two boys let out, Link cast a glare in the kids directions. He didn't stop walking though, and Mira was grateful for it. She felt bad enough already somehow without having to stop because she was being picked on. But the next comment was a bad one that was fairly embarrassing.

"I bet they kiss when no one's looking, and tell each other how cute their big ears are! How can you like a girl who looks like that!?"

The kids started snickering incessantly, and Link stopped. Turning, he went to go give the annoying brats, as Mira had called them, a piece of his mind, but he was surprised. Mira pushed her way past him, and he stared at her in shock, then ran forward to grab her arm and stop her from going after them. After all, Mira wasn't the one who usually spoke out her mind against the bullies, and her surprising move even had i_them/i_ getting quiet nearly immediately.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves!" She yelled, "How can you say such mean things to us when we've never done anything bad to you!? Link gave your brother a rupee last week to buy candy! And your sister told me she thought he was cute!"

Link was dragging Mira back, though he did have the thought to stop and ask her when Almanda said he was cute, but instead, he turned her around so that he could face her, putting his hands on her arms and try to get her to calm down. "Hey, are you okay?"

He had to ask since she was very mild mannered usually. When she looked at him finally, the violet flare in her eyes seemed to fade, her temper dying down tremendously, and she realized what she'd just said when she knew she should have ignored the children to begin with. She didn't answer Link. Instead, she turned and ran away, in the direction of their home, tears having flooded her eyes. Link watched her go, his brows narrowed, and he sighed out his breath. Now he was i_really_/i mad.

"Hey, Li...Link?" Sam said from behind him to get his attention.

Hearing his voice, Link's brows narrowed and he turned around to face the kid. Seeing the anger there in his blue eyes, the kid cringed a bit, and he waved his hands quickly, "I'm sorry. We didn't mean to make her cry."

"Well, you did," Link told him, sighing out his anger as he turned to go. "Maybe you should apologize to her instead of me. I think you really hurt her feelings this time."

The kid kicked his foot into the dirt as if he felt completely guilty, and he nodded slowly. "Maybe we can do something to make her feel better."

He apparently felt bad about it, and Link shrugged a little and decided to walk away, but then he stopped and took a deep breath. After all, Sam was actually apologizing for once and he did look completely contrite. Turning back around to face the child and his friends, he said, "Why don't we all go to the fishing pond tomorrow. Maybe we can catch something big. Mira doesn't like to fish, but she likes to go and watch, and I think she gets bored just watching me sometimes."

The kid looked back up, then he nodded so swiftly his orange red hair bouncing over his brows a bit as he did so, giving Link a smile. "That sounds like fun, Link. But, I'm still sorry for picking on your ears. Tell Mira I said that too, okay? Actually, I'm kind of jealous, I think they look cool."

That surprised Link a little, but it made him feel good at the same time, and also, as if he'd done the right thing by stopping to show Sam some pity instead of just barging off and letting him feel and about what he'd done. "Alright," Link smiled back. "I'll see you tomorrow. I'm gonna go check on her and tell her what you said."

Saying their goodbyes for now, Link turned to walk off and head back to the house. He knew Mira's feelings had been hurt more than his this time around. Honestly, he didn't care what they said about him, he only cared about what they said of Mira and how she felt over it. That was really the only reason he ever got angry at them. So maybe this apology would lead to good things, and instead of playing alone, they could do so with the rest of the children and not have to worry about being picked on anymore.

Heading past some buildings that surrounded the square, a chicken clucked its way past him, and Link cringed at what he'd deemed a long time ago to be the evil little creature, stopping for a moment between two of the buildings lining the Village Square. People were still in a line, waiting to sign the proclamation, and he eyed the Royal Guard sitting there named Casimir, letting them all do so. As he watched, Casimir eventually looked his way.

When they made eye contact, Link's face remained flat and straight, while Casimir gave him a little smile, one that somehow seemed twisted to the young boy's eyes.

Mira was right again. Link didn't feel good about this at all.

---

Thunder could be heard in the distance. In her hands as the sound played outside, Mira looked over the blue gemmed medallion of the amulet she had, quietly sitting. The early evening cast a dark yellow color to the sky, the sun nearly completely set, and she watched the blue stone catching the light and glinting it, reflecting in her eyes. Who had this necklace belonged to before she'd come to have it? Why had they given her up?

Seeing the guard today just made her curiosities stronger, but the way he'd looked at her also made her scared to know at the same time. To top it off, she was even more curious because of the bullies. Their picking made her want to go back to her real family where there might be children like her, instead of ones who would pick on her and Link because they were different.

With a sigh, she lowered her arms and turned her head to stare out of the window, feeling so completely dejected. If it weren't for Link, she thought, she wouldn't have anything to relate to completely. Why did they both have to be so different? Sometimes not even Alma understood them. They had bonded with their adoptive mother over their differences, tightly as well, so Mira was endlessly happy for that and she loved Alma just as much as real a mother as well. But she still wanted to know more. For the three of them, not just for herself. After all, she knew Link was just as curious about his own family.

It was at that time that the door to the bedroom opened up and Mira looked over, seeing Link walking inside, shutting the door behind himself. From there, he headed to his own bed across from hers. When he did, and had climbed up onto the mattress, he noticed her watching him with her amulet in her hands, and he just smiled and asked, "You okay?"

"Yes," she replied softly, looking back down at the amulet again. "And no."

"What's wrong? Thinking about those kids again?"

"Well, sort of. I just," she sighed, "really want to know more about where we came from, why we were given up."

Link nodded his head, seeming to completely understand where and why she would feel that way, admitting, "Me too. I wanna know why we couldn't have our real parents around, not that I'm complaining. I mean it's really nice here, except the other kids like to pick on us some. But they want to come with us to the fishing pond tomorrow, they said to tell you they were sorry for what they said, even told me they picked on us just because they were actually jealous."

That seemed to surprise Mira a little. "Really?," She asked, then she moved to the edge of her bed and climbed down, before walking to his and getting on it instead to sit next to him. Link nodded at her, and she smiled. That did make her feel better to know, and she started, "Wow, that's kind of nice I guess."

"Yeah, you should've seen his face, I think you really scared him."

"Well," she shrugged, "I was already feeling bad, I guess I just really didn't feel like hearing it from them. Do you think I'm bad for saying the things I did?"

"He wasn't saying anything better, so I think you were fine with what you said. But," he scratched his head slowly and pursed his lips, "when did Almanda say I was cute?"

Mira snickered softly over the question and told him, "It was supposed to be a secret. Almanda might get mad at me now. Don't tell her I said anything, okay?"

"Alright."

"Promise me!"

"I promise!" Link said back just as dramatically and grinned at her. "Don't worry, I won't say a thing. She already looks at me funny anyway," he added and wrinkled his nose a slight bit. "It's weird."

Mira giggled softly and glanced down at her hands again. She was still holding the amulet, and Link motioned to it before he asked, "You think maybe one day that will lead you back to your parents?"

"I hope so, but," she looked at the amulet, then back over at him and smiled brightly, pushing herself up onto her knees.

"Hey!"

Link blinked a few times as she fitted the amulet over his head and then settled it against his own chest and she sat back, looking him over. "I want you to keep it for me. I mean, you're just as much my family as anyone else is, and you're my best friend, you know? So you keep it for a little while, okay?"

"Then give it back to you?" He asked, looking a little confused.

"I don't know," Mira shrugged, "if you want to. But even if we never find out anything about our real parents, we still have each other, right? And it's mine to give it away if I want to."

"Yeah," he nodded, seeing her meaning and smiling over it.

"Then you take it as my gift to you."

"Hmm," he drew out softly, seeming to think it over. "Okay, but I'm not going to keep it forever. Just until you want it back, alright?"

Mira smiled, and then she nodded her head, her bronzed blonde hair waving a bit in the process. Reaching out, she took Link's hand and smiled at him, a smile the little boy returned in understanding. They would be best friends and each others family all of their life no matter what the future held for them, and the gift was a promise of that, one he knew she felt she had to make so she wouldn't lose him no matter what happened.

But it was in that moment that their smiles faded simultaneously. They both gasped as well and looked over at the window. Something was wrong, they could hear it, knew it somehow, as well as they knew they were both seven year old children. As they watched, and the sky grew darker outside, Mira turned and jumped off of the bed, going to grab a candlestick which she lit using the hanging lantern near the door, and Link climbed off of the bed after her.

The thunder had rumbled once more in the somewhat empty distance of the forest, and he asked, "What do you think it is?"

"I don't know," she replied, "but I'm kind of scared."

"Don't be scared, I'm here," he reassured her, "we'll be okay."

Mira could see that look of promise in Link's eyes as he told her this, and it did relieve her a good bit. Sometimes, when she was feeling bad, he was the only one who could make her feel better, and she wasn't sure why. Alma was adept at it as well, but Link just seemed to have some kind of sway over her it seemed, one she couldn't guess at the origin of. Either way, as she gave him her small smile and nod of understanding and trust, the door opened, and Alma walked into the room.

"Link? Mira? Come on, I want you to put your cloaks on, and bundle up a bit. It's cold outside."

"We're leaving?" Link asked as Alma went to their beds and took one of their quilts. She seemed to be in a hurry, as if time was important for the both of them.

"Yes, right away. We're going to Roshala Village, just for a few days."

"Why?," Link asked even as he was turned around to have his cloak put on him. "Something bad's happening, isn't it?"

Alma frowned, then she shook her head at him, "Not yet it isn't. That's why we have to leave before it does."

"Someone's coming for us," Mira said out of the blue, catching Alma's attention almost immediately. Mira tightened her grip on the candlestick she held and added, "They're coming to find us."

"No," Alma shook her head, "all of the children are leaving, Mira, and their own parents as well. Only a few are staying behind, it's not just us." She reached out and took the candlestick, settling it down onto the dresser before she went to kiss Mira's cheek and put her own cloak over her shoulders. "You just stick close to Link and I, and we'll be fine, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded back, kissing her mother's cheek, telling her, "I love you."

Alma smiled with a nod, then she stood up straight, "Come on, let's go before it gets too much later."

Both of the children followed Alma out of the room, helping her gather a few necessities along the way. As they headed to the door, Link stopped and ran toward the counter where Alma usually prepared the meals, prompting her to say his name. But the little boy came right back, reaching up to grab his slingshot and the bag of pebbles he kept for it, apparently not wanting to leave without it.

With a sigh, Alma hurried him on, "Come on, we've no time to waste."

Outside, their transportation waited for them.

---

In the rain, the horses hooves tapped through the mud, their masters standing with them, garbed in armor and chatting silently amongst themselves. One of them was standing a bit away from the rest, his face a bit dirty with mud, some of his teeth missing as if he'd had a few fights in his past. Currently, and despite the rain, he was eating the leg of some unfortunate animal he and his men had killed and cooked up a day or so ago, tearing the meat from the bone without any worry of manners or dignity.

It was then that he heard a loud slice of air cutting through the atmosphere overhead, causing him to narrow his brows and look up, stepping forward. Just a moment later, a quilled arrow slammed its way into the ground, and seeing this, he called back to the others with him, "We've got our signal!"

Two other men came moving forward, seeing the white feathered arrow sticking out of the ground, and one sighed, "He hasn't found anything important. All this waiting in the damned rain for nothing!"

At that moment, another slice of air sounded, and the same man who'd just grumbled about the rain looked up. A moment later, another arrow pierced the ground next to the first one, and staring down at it, he grinned as the first man who'd been eating the meat exclaimed, "Two arrows, we can move in!"

"Casimir has found them," he nodded, looking over at the man, "Go now! Tell everyone to gear up!"

"Yes sir!," the soldier replied as he ran off to do so. Only a few moments later, horses were riding toward the entrance of the Village from where the two arrows jutted up out of the ground, the sign over the path which read the name Kakariko.


	4. Departure

_Chapter 3 - Departure_

The doors to the front of Alma's home opened, and the two children were somewhat surprised. There were two large wagons being pulled by two horses a piece sitting near their home along the roadsides, the backs of them carrying many of their villagers already, the old and the very young alike. Alma ushered Link and Mira toward them so they could join the others in leaving safely. As they reached the back, she lifted Mira up, the little girl grabbing the hand of an old man who helped to pull her inside. Mira immediately turned around once her feet were settled on the wooden surface and reached to grab Link's arm with the same old man's help.

Once all three of them were settled in the back of the wagon, Alma put their two bags beside of herself and thanked the old man, whose name was Shamrock, for his help. He just smiled kindly and told her she was welcome for it, and Mira moved over to Alma in order to climb into her lap. Lightening flashed as she did so, and she watched Alma put her arm over Link's shoulder, the little boy sitting there looking just as perplexed over everything as she felt.

"That everyone!?" One of the driver's called out, receiving an affirmative from a few people, and Mira heard their wagon driver telling the horses to 'giddy up' before they started moving. Once they did, she looked up at Alma.

"Why are there people coming here?"

"We don't know, Mira. When I find out though, I promise I'll tell you."

Mira nodded in response to her mother's promise, and then looked back out at the scenery as it passed them, dark and dreary that evening, cold and damp. As they traveled, they ended up taking the Valley Pass through the mountains settled to the northwest of Kakariko, a road which wound around the base of Death Mountain and was used for easy passage on the unsafe slopes of the infamous place. Eventually, the trees died away as they went, and some of the older people on the wagon talked about what they thought the reason behind the soldiers who'd been spotted coming could be.

Some of them said that the new King wasn't appeased by the new pledges of fealty he'd gathered, and others said there must have been more rumors of revolution on the rise, and perhaps someone had come to Kakariko recently who'd been a part of these rumors which the soldiers were looking for. So everyone thought it best to have the older people leave for a short while along with the children and women, just incase something bad really was happening.

Link listened to them in passing, catching a few phrases from time to time as he looked back and through the rain beneath the edge of his damp hood, able to see their village in the distance which only appeared as a few tiny flickering lights from his vantage point now. With a soft sigh, he turned his head, the hood falling forward a little bit to hide his face from everyone almost completely while the wagons climbed higher on the currently rising Valley Pass.

He still wore Mira's amulet, and he considered it while they went, wondering if she missed it right now. He had the thought to give it back to her, but he didn't want anyone else to see it. Mira had always kept it a secret, so he didn't want to expose it. Only Alma knew she had it, and Alma was the reason Mira knew it was something she had left from her parents. Once they got to Roshala Village, he could give it back to her if she wanted it then.

While Link thought of this, he heard a rider coming in fast, yelling something unintelligible from his distance. Looking up with a slight gasp, Link climbed onto his knees in his seat and turned around, watching as the rider moved past their wagon, and began to speak to the driver. He was only there for a moment before he took off to the other wagon ahead of their own in the caravan they were currently traveling in, as their driver looked back and gave everyone a warning.

"Everyone hold onto your things tightly! We've need to pick up the pace. Some of their forces are heading this way."

Some of the people started getting scared, unsure why the soldiers from the castle would follow two wagons carrying mostly old and the very young, but they didn't have time to complain about it or fuss, the wagon starting to move much more quickly. As this happened, Alma pulled Link closer to herself, and he put his arm around her back to let her know he was secure where he was, glancing up at his hooded sister to see that she was still perturbed and confused by everything, if not a little scared herself.

Reaching up, he took her hand, and when she felt it, she lowered her eyes to look at him, then tightened her grip against his fingers, reminding each other that they weren't alone in this. Even though things seemed to be heavily chaotic at that moment in time, they found some type of solace in the fact that they were together with Alma, and she'd care for them.

Down the road a ways behind the traveling wagons came a small contingency of horses, riding up the mountain pass with haste, and once they were in sight, Shamrock, sitting across from the family, narrowed his brows as he spied them. It couldn't be, could it?

"Archers?" The old man asked with uncertainty.

The horses were moving toward them, and Link lifted his head to see, Mira looking back herself. One of the riders moving with the other soldiers carried a torch, and Link watched him lighting one of his comrades arrows, the tip of it setting to fire. The archer, while never breaking his horses pace, then notched his arrow, and Links eyes went wide as he aimed it.

"Din's fire!," Alma exclaimed, "Link, Mira, get down!"

Everyone began to duck down as the flaming arrow shot through the air, heading over the wagon they were in and toward the one before their own in the line of the caravan. No one knew at this moment why they were being attacked so mercilessly as they were, but they also didn't have time to think about it. Everything was happening too quickly, and it was all beating down on them like the harshly falling rains poured now.

The flaming arrow hit the other wagon, and they could hear a few people screaming from just ahead. It wasn't the only arrow fired either, another heading through the air and arching just right to go through the back of their driver, scaring the horses toting them out of control. The carriage jerked about and turned, ramming into a wall, causing rocks and debris to fall down toward them, but thankfully however, none of the rocks were too large to cause anyone much damage. Link nearly stumbled out of his seat, grabbing hold of Alma and Mira tighter in order to keep himself anchored where he was.

The soldiers were catching up now. With the front of their wagon on fire, Link lifted his head up to see some of the horses carrying the soldiers moving past them, three of them staying in behind them, and he narrowed his brows angrily. Why they were doing this, he had no clue just like everyone else, but he didn't want to just sit idly by and let them either way it went.

Everything else that happened did so very fast. Link wasn't even sure of it until he saw the evidence with his own two eyes. The archers killed the horses carrying them away, causing their carriage to come to an abrupt halt, shimming back and forth and then tipping over onto it's side. The passengers to fell out of the wagon without pause as this happened, stumbling and rolling onto the ground. Alma yelled in fear from being thrown as many others had, which left them all laying tossed and turned about.

Looking up, she searched for her children, and found Mira was laying next to her, apparently fine except for being shaken up, though Link escaped her attention for a moment as she turned her head. Then she saw him pushing himself toward her from the ground where he'd landed, and she reached out to take his hand. Grabbing it, Link bent over to help Mira to her feet, and as she struggled to stand up, Alma asked them both, "Are you alright?"

Both children nodded their heads in response, and at that time, a large black stallion's hooves clopped through the dirt, carrying an armored and helmeted guard toward them, his sword being drawn with a metal slice of air sounding. One of the men pushed himself up and yelled, "Why are you doing this!? What have we done!?"

"You have all been deemed as traitors to your kingdom," the soldier spoke, "for harboring fugitives."

"Sir, I assure you," the same man started again, moving in toward the soldier with his arms held up, "we know nothing of any fugitives, otherwise we'd–"

The man was cut off when the soldier, showing him no quarter, suddenly turned his sword and stabbed it into his chest, blood spurting from the back of his body before the sword was ripped clean from his flesh, causing him to fall onto his face in the dirt covered road.

Seeing this, Alma grabbed her children as Mira's muffled cry of fear sounded into her clothing, and she pulled them both around to hide at the back of the toppled over wagon from the soldiers. More screams had sounded from other scared villagers, no doubt up ahead from the opposite wagon witnessing the same type of mercilessness. Link's eyes had gone wide over the sight while he was ushered back with his mother. This couldn't really be happening could it!?

The sound of horses hoofs trotted up behind the hiding trio, and Alma turned her head at the sound, gasping when she saw the horse. Looking up, fearing the worst for Mira and Link, it was a familiar face she spied atop the black steed.

Link turned when Alma gasped to see the Royal Guard Casimir, and the man smirked as he asked them, "Going somewhere?"

Alma was almost too afraid to speak, and Casimir didn't seem to make any notice to it as he began to climb off of his horse. He could hear his men with the other villagers demanding to know from those who were left where the fugitives they were looking for were hiding, but he ignored them, having found exactly whom he was looking for now, letting his men kill the innocent at will if they so felt the need to. After all, no one was innocent in the eyes of Hyrule. Those days were gone.

"Sir Cordivus," Alma spoke urgently to him, "please, we don't know anything about any fugitives, let us go peacefully!"

"I think not, my lady, after all, you were found running. Had you simply stayed in the Village, we would have no need to resort to this sort of tactic. A house arrest would have been the extent of your discipline." He lifted his hand once the words had been spoken and motioned with it to someone else.

Another soldier road up toward Casimir as lightening flashed in the sky, Mira and Link both hugging Alma tightly while the soldier asked, "Sir, what do you want done with them?"

"Shackle them to be taken back to the palace dungeon for questioning. All three of them. Make a special place for the children. We want to keep them comfortable after all."

"Yes sir," the soldier replied as he began to dismount his horse, pulling a pair of shackles from his belt as he headed over to the frightened family.

Alma breathed heavily, but she looked at Link and Mira and told them, "Just do as they say, don't fight with them." While she spoke, Link stared passed the soldier walking toward them and at Casimir, the man catching the little boy's gaze once again, and he grinned. Link sneered in response to the grin, hugging Alma and Mira, but he was jolted from his heated gaze with the Royal Guard when Alma was pulled up suddenly by the soldier, gasping loudly. Link went to grab her, but he found a sword barring his path, causing him to stumble backwards. Looking up, he saw Casimir staring down at him and Mira both, shaking his head in the negative.

As they began to shackle her, Alma said, "Please don't harm them, they're only children! Link, stay with Mira! I'll be alright, I promise!"

"No harm will come to them, my lady," Casimir told her as she was pushed toward several other adults who'd been shackled, and he turned to look down at the children with a smirk as they were sandwiched between his sword and the back of the toppled over wagon, adding more quietly, "as long as you both behave for me." After Alma was out of both of their sights, Casimir looked to a soldier and said, "Take the girl. I'll deal with the boy."

Link and Mira both gasped when they heard that, separation not something either of them wanted, and as one of the soldiers headed toward them, Link noticed the hind flanks of a horse just behind him, and an idea came to mind. Reaching into his cloak, he pulled a pebble out of his pocket and, having practiced a good bit with his sling shot back home, loaded it up quickly, stretching the string back with little effort.

He did it too fast for anyone to be able to react in time, the pebble flying through the air as the string was released, and into the horses hind flanks, causing it to kick out its back legs. The hooves rammed into the soldier and sent him flying forward, knocking Casimir backwards a good bit, and when Link saw the man was out of the way, he grabbed Mira's hand and took off with her.

Casimir looked up after he'd recovered from his stumble to see the two children running away, and he snarled in anger, yelling, "Seize them!"

Mira, following as closely behind Link as she could, holding his hand tightly, gasped when one of the soldiers near them turned to do as Casimir had commanded, and Link slowed to a stop, pushing Mira to the side with himself as the soldier grabbed for them both.

Mira remembered what Link had said about being smaller than them, and he used it to his advantage, pushing himself up with her and running once more as the soldier followed suit, escaping him for a moment by running beneath and between the legs of a horse. The two tiny children escaped the large man's grasp again, and seeing this, Casimir sneered.

"I'm going to _kill_ that boy!"

Alma, spying them running, wanted to call out to them to keep going, but she didn't dare with the situation she was in. She watched them though as they ran between a line of newly made prisoners and escaped captivity yet again. When this happened, she spied Casimir riding by on his horse to chase them himself. Passing her position, he called, "That's the mother," pointing at her, "take her back to the village, _now_!"

Alma frowned and cast her gaze down, taking a deep breath for courage. She knew that Link and Mira would come back for her, and so did Casimir. She now had to endure the pain of hoping her children completely abandoned her. Somehow, in her heart, she knew it was Link and Mira that these men were_ really_ after.

Allowing the soldiers to take her without fussing, she couldn't help but pray the words in her mind, _Three Goddesses, please help us_.


	5. Descent

_Chapter 4 - Descent_

Rounding the corner of the pass, Casimir drew his black steed to a stop, the horse rearing up slightly and whinnying loudly. The children were no where to be see, had disappeared from sight after they'd gone running, but he knew they couldn't have ran that far that fast, no matter how little they were. No, they were just hiding from him.

"Come out, lads," he called to them, "and save your mother the pain of torment for not returning to me!"

Link's brows had furrowed angrily, and Mira grabbed his arm when she saw the glare, causing him to look over at her. She shook her head no at him, wanting him to stay put, whispering softly, "He's lying."

Link still looked angry, but he stayed right where he was for Mira's sakes. The large rock they were hiding behind was the perfect cover. It wasn't obvious at all, sitting against the rocky wall of the mountain side, and what made it so perfect was that there was a crevice in the wall behind the rock just big enough for the two of them to fit into that was hard to see because of the rocks cover in front of it.

Casimir dismounted his horse, and began to slowly walk, just past their position. As he did, he went on, "I told you both before, I don't intend you harm, as long as you behave. I don't want to harm your mother either, but if you don't come out, I'll be forced to do so anyway."

Link felt a burning in his very soul to come out from behind the rock he was currently stationed behind and do whatever he could to stop Casimir from hurting anyone else as he already had. He couldn't just sit there and allow this to happen, and Casimir wouldn't go away until he'd found them. Looking down, he pulled his sling shot back out and when Mira saw him, she grabbed his hands and asked him, "What are you doing?"

"I can see him. If he turns around, I can hit him in the head. Then we can get out of here."

Mira shook her head no at Link, and she almost choked out through the tears brimming in her violet blue eyes, "Just let him leave. We can go to Roshala and get help there. He might catch us otherwise."

Link took in a deep breath, supposing she was right, not to mention he knew she was already scared, and scaring her further wasn't his intentions, but he loaded another pebble into his sling shot just incase he needed it. Once done, he put the child's toy into the side of his belt to make sure he could get to it quickly. Then he glanced back out at the last place he'd spotted Casimir, only to spy that the man was already gone. Narrowing his brows, Link turned his head a bit, not seeing Casimir's steed either, no trace of the man left.

"Where'd he go?"

"Maybe he gave up for now," Mira suggested.

Link considered the words, and then he looked at Mira and said, "Okay, you stay here and hide, and I'll look to see."

Mira frowned at him, but she knew he wouldn't change his mind over this, watched as he slowly lifted his head from the space between the rock and the wall, and suddenly he gasped when Casimir reached down to grab him.

"Link!," Mira yelled, reaching over for her friend to pull him back, and she grunted with her effort as Link held onto the wall. Casimir grumbled and rolled his eyes over the little girls efforts, and reached down into the crevice with his other hand, grabbing the back of Mira's cloak and dress, and once he had a good hold on it as she started hitting his arm with her free hand, he dropped Link and pulled her free.

Screaming as she was lifted up, Mira struggled with the strong grasp Casimir had on her, and Link pushed himself back up from the ground, no where near intending to just let the man grab her like that, yelling as he ran at the guard in a blind fury. Glaring down at the him, Casimir reached down once Link got to him and swiped his fist across the seven year old's head, knocking Link for a harsh loop.

"Link! No, put me down! You hurt him!"

"Silence!," Casimir told Mira on a harsh tone of voice. The man began to head over to the little boy who's hood had flown back when he'd been hit, and he pushed himself over, still dazed from being backhanded so hard. Reaching up to his temple where he'd been hit, Link grunted when a foot hit his chest and pushed him down onto his back again, the heavy limb bearing down on him. Instinctively, Link grabbed Casimir's shoe and tried to push it off, but the man was far too strong for him to budge at all.

Casimir just smirked as he gazed down at Link, ignoring the struggles Mira was putting up as she was held out by the back of her dress in his opposite arm, screaming at him to leave Link alone, trying to struggle free. The effort Link was putting forth was fruitless, and he knew that, but it didn't stop him from trying, knowing Casimir could literally crush him at any moment. But something had caught the evil man's attention, an amulet Link was wearing that had fallen from the collar of his shirt, and on the back of it was the indisputable symbol of the Royal Family of Hyrule.

Casimir's eyes widened for just a moment, and he said, "Then it _is_ true. You two _are_..."

Before Casimir could finish his sentence, an orb of purple light flew from around the corner and right into his face, startling the man enough to cause him to step away from the little boy he'd been crushing beneath his boot. Link took in a hard breath once the pressure was alleviated, and his blue eyes traveled up to see Casimir swatting at the same fairy he and Mira had caught much earlier that day and set free by the fishing pond.

The fairy had been following them since they'd left the village, watching and waiting for her chance to help them if it should arise, and she'd chosen now to show herself to them, returning the kindness they'd granted her earlier by letting her go home. "Link!," came the little fairies voice, "The boulders! Up there! Use your sling shot!"

Unsure what the fairy had meant, Link looked up to see several boulders settled above the path they were on, just ready to cause a rock slide if the branch holding them up was shaken in any manner hard enough. Pushing himself forward, Link grabbed his sling shot, and did as the fairy suggested, aiming at the branch, a pebble fired as hard as he could muster it. Just incase he missed, he loaded another one, then another, the three pebbles smacking the side of the branch and the boulders itself, which caused some slight shaking to occur, a few cracks in the wood forming, but it wasn't enough to set all of the rock to falling down on them. Instead, only a few smaller rocks did so, one of them landing near Link in the dirt.

Looking up, Link noticed that Casimir had finally managed to grab the little fairy in his hand, and he was probably going to crush her the same way he'd tried to do to the seven year old he's stepped on. So Link grabbed the boulder that had landed near him and stood up straight, catching Casimir's attention.

The man just smirked at him, and then shook his head. So, the child wanted to be grown up, hmm? "Go ahead, boy," Casimir taunted him with a little lopsided smirk plastered on his face. "Take your best shot."

Breathing heavily, Link nodded back to Casimir, nothing but seriousness in his blue eyes, and raised his arm back, holding the boulder steadily. Casimir just chuckled as the little boy stood there threateningly, waiting for the tiny man to try to hit him with what he held, and then watched Link push his arm forth to propel the rock forward.

But instead of flying toward Casimir, it went upwards into the air with Link's yell of effort, right toward the boulders above Casimir's position. Hearing the crack of wood when the rock hit, the wall beginning to shake as gravity worked on the boulders to bring them down the side of the wall, snapping the branch like a twig, some of the soldiers began heading up the path behind Casimir from where the wagons had been located.

Gasping, Casimir released the fairy and dropped Mira to save his own skin, moving back swiftly to escape the boulders tumbling down the wall now in a heavy rock slide. When Mira hit the ground, her head smacked down somewhat hard, dazing her as Link had been earlier, leaving her to lay there in the boulders' paths. Link went running and grabbed her arm, dragging her out of the way as the boulders crashed down near them both, continuing to back up with one arm hooked around her chest to get them both out of the path of destruction.

The fairy who'd aided them both came flying, hovering in the air over both of their heads, and Link couldn't see too clearly due to the tumbling boulders, but he could hear Casimir and some of his men yelling as they were run over in the rock slide, tumbling down off of the cliff they'd been settled on.

Breathing heavily, everything slowly growing calm and quiet again save for a few remaining, smaller rocks falling here and there to settle, as well as the thunder from the storm still hovering in the sky, Link looked down at Mira and shook her gently to get her to open her eyes and look at him.

"Mira! Wake up!"

"Mmm," she drew out, her eyes opening. "Link?"

"Are you okay?"

"Mmm hmm," she nodded, "my head hurts a little, but I'm okay. What about you? He stepped on you."

"I'm fine, Mira," he reassured her. "We should sit here for a few minutes before we go and rest a little. I think the rocks got Casimir."

Mira gave Link a tiny smile, nodding in agreement with his suggestion of resting for a moment before the got up and moved on, when she reached up and rubbed her head gingerly. Slowly, she took a breath and sat forward, looking at the medallion around Link's neck. Reaching for it, she pushed it back inside of his shirt, and asked, "What did Casimir mean? He said something was true when he saw this."

"He's a liar," Link told her, "he doesn't know _what's_ true."

"Ain't it the truth," the little fairy grumbled out from her position in the air.

Smiling, both children looked up at her, and Link said, "You came back to help us."

"Thank you," Mira added, "very much."

"It was nothing," the fairy shrugged off, "I owed you one. I was just a little lost earlier and you actually helped me get back home. So I followed you both when you left tonight. It didn't look pretty, and I thought I might be able to help if something bad happened."

"Then we're even," Mira smiled, and looking over at Link, she checked his temple, seeing the redness there. Link snorted and pushed her hand away, shaking his head because she'd tickled him a bit, and she rolled her eyes slightly at his refusal to let her look at the bump he'd gotten.

Seeing this, the fairy giggled, and then she flew into the air a bit higher and called back, "There's a few people down there, but all of the soldiers are gone now. I think they missed some of your friends. Maybe they were hiding like you tried to."

"Then we should go back to them," Link suggested, and he stood up. Helping Mira to her feet, he turned to head with her, but it was then that the ground shook. Both children stopped when they felt the trembling, and Mira glanced back at Link.

"What is that?" He asked.

"More boulders?"

They both looked up, but didn't see anything falling, and as they stared, the earth beneath their feet began to crack and give way. The crack worked its way toward both of them, and between each child's feet. Spotting it, the fairy called, "No, it's the ground! Get away!"

Link and Mira both looked down at their feet as the fairy called this to them, and as soon as they saw the crack, the ledge beneath Link's feet gave away. Mira yelled as she reached for him, grabbing his hand while he stumbled downwards, his weight pulling her onto her stomach with a loud 'oof' of breath from her lungs.

It was so hard to hold onto him, especially just his hand, and Mira struggled as hard as she could to keep her grip tight. "Link!" She yelled, "Someone help! Please! Link's falling!"

"I'll go get them!," the fairy called as she flew away and down the path swiftly in order to attract the attention of the people she'd seen there a few moments before.

While she flew off, Mira stared down at Link with a scared expression on her face, seeing that he was trying to grab the wall with his other hand and hold onto it, but there was nothing to hold onto.

"Link, I'm not strong enough. Please hold on, the fairy's getting help!"

"I'm trying to," he replied, but already, he could feel his hand slipping from both of hers. So he reached with his other hand to try and hold on with both of his, the two children grunting hard with their efforts, pain shooting through their fingertips.

Someone was coming, they had to be. She could hear them. They'd make it in time. His fingers were slipping, but they'd grab him before he could fall. "Link...," she whimpered out, "please...please don't fall!"

Mira's eyes opened and she stared down at him. His own eyes locked on hers, fear in his eyes for the first time she could ever remember seeing it there, and she tried to tighten her grip even though it was impossible to do so just as she felt his hand slipping from hers.

"LINK!!!!!!!"

"MIRA!!!!!!," came his voice followed by a yell that seemed to fade out of her ears as his falling form, still reaching for her, faded out of sight.

"Link!," she reached down, screaming his name again, "LIIIIIIINK!"

Mira felt the ground beneath her cracking away, screamed when she thought she was going to fall as well, but someone grabbed her, pulling her back. As they did, Mira struggled, still screaming Link's name, trying to reach him, in a complete frenzy, and she didn't even hear the old man trying to tell her to calm down.

"No! No! Link fell! We have to go get him! Please!"

The man holding onto her was Shamrock, his heart breaking in half both over the news that Link fell and over how she was reacting to it. But he couldn't let her go, got the feeling she'd throw herself off of the cliff just to try and find him. There was nothing any of them could do for now. But what made the entire situation the absolute worst it could be was that they still weren't even sure of why it had all started to begin with.

The only truth anyone knew for certain was that the night they'd all just had would always be remembered as a completely tragic one.


	6. Broken Paths

_Chapter 5 - Broken Paths_

_One Week Later_

"Boy? You awake yet?"

The child groaned softly, turning his head. It was more movement than he'd made in a week, and most of them thought he was a goner, but as it turned out, he had much more of a fighting spirit than that.

"Come on, open your eyes. You've been asleep for a week now. Wake up."

Link could hear the words, but somehow they seemed foreign in his dying dream state. Was he actually hearing them or was he still having strange dreams that made no sense? One thing he knew for certain though, as reality dawned on him unknowingly, was that he was definitely ached much more now than he'd had in any dream he'd been given prior to now.

Hearing his groan, someone else spoke, "I think he's finally coming to. Hey kid, you sure are a fighter. From the looks of it, you took one hell of a fall."

"He still needs rest, let's stop pestering him to wake up."

"Alright," a few more voices came followed by the sound of a shutting door, and more and more Link realized he wasn't just dreaming this, that he was actually living it. The soft mattress he lay on shifted, as if a heavy weight had been set down on it, and he felt a hand pushing something that felt like clothe up on the side of his head. Finally, his blue eyes opened to see the fuzzy outline of a woman with a deep tan colored skin and red hair tied onto the top of her head in a ponytail sitting before him.

"Hah, well, you listened. Nice blue eyes," she spoke, checking the wound on his head beneath the bandage she'd put on him. "Your head's doing much better too. That's a very good thing, kid."

Link parted his lips to speak weakly, but his throat was dry, and instead of asking the first question he'd had in mind, he rasped out the word, "Thirsty."

Smiling down at him, the woman reached over for a long necked bottle sitting on the bedside table and she took his head to gently lift it, letting him take a few long gulps of the clear liquid as she held the bottle to his mouth. He was apparently parched if his drinking was any indication, and she let him have as much as he wanted until he pushed the bottle away gently. Smiling, she set it onto the side of the bed again and turned back to him.

"My name's Nabooru. You're in the Gerudo Desert with my tribe. What's your name, kid?"

Link opened his eyes again and looked at the woman, able to see her a bit more clearly now, and he thought about her question for a minute. What _was_ his name? Somehow he couldn't quite remember, but it was on the tip of his tongue. "Um," he drew out.

"You don't know?"

"I...," he trailed off, "I think it's..."

She waited. As he thought about it, she shook her head at him slowly, "Hmm, hitting your head must have made you forget everything."

He looked disgruntled over the words. She figured he had good reason to be though, after all, not knowing your own name had to be frustrating, but she figured he'd remember the better he got. Instead, she allowed him to ask his next questions after a moment of time had passed. "How did I get here? Where did I come from?"

"Well," Nabooru started, "I found you at the base of Death Mountain. You'd apparently taken a nasty fall, so I brought you out here. My girls and I were heading back home when we came across you, and with your condition, I didn't take the time out to try and find out where you came from. Bringing you out here was the best choice if you were going to live. Your left arm's broken, so don't move it too much. You'll need to spend at least a little while longer in bed before you get up too."

"Okay," he said softly, not having it in him to argue at that point in time. "Has anyone come looking for me?"

"In the desert?" Nabooru scoffed softly, "No, people tend to avoid it. Oh, and that reminds me." Nabooru stood up, and she walked over to a chest in the tan walled room they were in. Link watched her, realizing the room was actually a pretty nice one, not too big, but it seemed to have some nice comforts in it nonetheless, a table and chairs, everything ornately carved by hand and the windows were decorated with colorful cloths, letting the light of day into the room through them which cast pretty colors on some of the walls.

Opening the chest, Nabooru pulled out a silver chain with a blue gemmed medallion hanging off of it, glinting in the sunlight shining into the room, and she carried it back over to Link, showing it to him. "I found this near your body when we'd come across you, and it looks like a girls necklace, but I thought to ask if it belonged to you before I assumed anything. Saying you can remember that is."

Link stared at the pendant for several moments, reaching his right hand out to take it slowly. Letting him, Nabooru watched as his eyes scanned it, and Link could hear someone calling what he knew to be his name in his head, echoing again and again with some girlish laughter behind it. Along with it was the vague image of a little girl, and he narrowed his brows. "My name's Link. This belonged to a friend of mine. I," he paused for a moment, "I don't know who she is though."

Nabooru smiled. It was good to see him remembering with the familiar item, and she considered his name as well. "Well, that's a good sign. Link, huh? You Hylians with your funny names," she smirked, sitting down again. "You look to be about eight years old."

"I think so," he replied, setting the amulet onto the mattress next to himself, inexplicably comforted by its presence, wanting to keep it near himself. While he wasn't sure why, he somehow didn't care, the feelings being too comforting to pass up.

"You know," Nabooru started, crossing one leg over the other, her attire that of a deep red silk with gold patterns and edgings, "I had a son once. He would have been about your age now, maybe a little older."

"What happened to him?"

"I'm not sure. To be honest, I think someone stole him from me. But," she shook her head, "that's another story for another day. You're a lucky one yourself. This tribe though, well, it's all women, so there's no boys your age to play with. At least, while you stay here."

"That's okay," Link replied, "I don't feel like playing right now."

"Of course not," Nabooru smiled, pushing some of his hair back behind his pointed ear. She hated to look at the situation like this, but when she'd come across Link a week ago, and over that time taken care of him, she'd bonded with him despite the fact that he wasn't conscious to talk to her. She knew it stemmed from having lost her own son, but she couldn't help it. Honestly all she wanted to do was make sure he was alright, and maybe, if fate saw fit for it, she could say she'd made up for her mistakes in the past.

"Just rest now, Link. You need your strength to heal up. I don't know who's looking for you, but you're welcome to stay with us for as long as you need to."

Link thought about that for a moment and took a deep breath in through his nose, feeling a little groggy still, and he told Nabooru, "Thank you." She was right, he needed to rest, and while he was resting, maybe he could try to remember exactly who he was and where he came from. After all, just somehow knowing his name was Link from looking at the amulet didn't tell him much on his person at all.

As time passed, Link learned that despite the tribe being mostly female, he didn't want for very much. In fact, he was rather spoiled by many of the women there, though not to a fault. They were stern to be sure, and very skilled in the arena's of archery and, to his distaste, thievery. To top it off they were skilled horse masters - mistresses rather - to boot. After he mended his wounds from the fall he couldn't recall taking, he stuck close to Nabooru who always seemed very welcoming of him, and slowly made friends with the rest of the tribe even though they sometimes seemed a slight bit disdainful.

Nabooru told him of the reason why. Gerudo typically didn't care for outsiders, and as well, being a tribe of women, they also felt they were just as good as any man, so sometimes treated males with a slight bit less respect than normal just to prove, should the man become irritated at them, that they could best him at anything if they so wanted to. The women meant no disrespect toward Link by it since it was something of a habit for them, just their way of life.

Learning this, Link just waved his hand dismissively whenever a woman treated him in such a way. This caused them to react, and Link was thus forced to stand up for himself even more. During his interactions in living with the tribe, he had no luck in finding out where he'd really come from, the amulet he carried the only thing he had to tie him to his past, and the vague images of the little girl he could see sometimes clouding his dreams, along with a strange sensation of wrong doing that he wasn't sure had anything to do with the child or not. Still, he could wonder alone if the girl was real, and if she was, did she want to know what had happened to him as well.

Years began to pass, and Link eventually turned into a strong fifteen year old, a ceremony held in his honor as a right of passage, receiving his first ear piercing. Over that time, he'd established himself in the Gerudo tribe as a true member, and while he'd learned that the reason there were only females within their clan was because a male was only born once every hundred years, he wasn't revered as their leader as that male typically would be. Still, he'd earned the women's respects, and from a few, their admiration.

His skills in archery were gained from the shooting ranges the Gerudo built, and when he showed a good amount of interest at a fairly young age, they began to instruct him on the art of swordplay. Still, throughout all of this time, no word or traveler came to him professing to know his true roots, or even a hint of where he'd come from.

If his curiosities over his past were troubling him, not knowing whether or not he were dead or alive had definitely made Mira think her hair should be prematurely grey. They'd never found a trace of his body, though animals could have gotten to it, but there were other hints to Mira that Link might not have died in the fall he'd taken.

Not long after that eventfully tragic evening, Mira had been staying with a few people in Roshala when she was approached by a woman she'd never met before. At the time, she had been overwrought with grief. Everyone told her Alma had been taken to Hyrule Castle, but no one knew of her fate. So this new person was welcome to a girl who felt as if her whole life had crumbled down the same cliff Link had toppled over.

Her name was Impa, and Mira came to learn over time that Impa had more up her sleeve than first appeared. With her and the fairy that had helped to try and save them that night, whose name turned out to be Nissa, Mira went to live in a remote cabin located on a distant road leading away from Roshala Village. It was here that Impa began to awaken the true powers that lay within Mira's soul, as she apparently had a keen ability to perform in the magic arts.

Mira learned much from Impa. On occasion as well, a caravan would go passing through the area, the riders needing a place to rest for a short time. It was through these caravans that Mira heard of a woman with red hair who'd been asking about a boy, if anyone knew him, but Mira was unable to ascertain a proper name, only a description, that she looked to be a Gerudo from the mysterious desert region of Hyrule.

It was when Mira turned fifteen that she finally went back to Kakariko after saving enough money to get her own place to stay, which she built herself, and helped everyone with the reconstruction of the village after the attack by the soldiers. Many of the people there had nothing but high praise and kind words to say of the girl, noting how charitable she was, many looking to her despite her young age for strength and even advice on matters.

Through it all, Mira tried to save hope that somewhere, Link was really out there, and maybe she'd get a chance to see him again some day, if only to tell him she was sorry she wasn't strong enough to hold onto him that night. Occasionally she'd receive visits from Impa since she only lived with the fairy Nissa whom had pledged to stay by Mira's side due to failing in getting help to save Link quickly enough, and it was one evening late when she was seventeen years old, nearly ten years since the night she'd lost Link, that Impa related a tale to Mira.

The story of a Princess...


	7. Horizon

_Chapter 6 - Horizon_

Ten years had passed. Ten years since his ascension to sovereignty, over a kingdom which now had bent to serve him. The kingdom was stronger than ever, and that power was growing everyday.

The Palace had been redefined in appearance. Sleek marble and granite walls, columns standing sentry throughout the hallways, some of them lined with velvet curtains, others settled around windows. Most of the rooms in the castle had the same decor, some places sporting statues and busts of the new king, both as a child and as an adult. Other rooms, however, most didn't even know existed.

Such was a room in which the King of Hyrule currently stood, thinking, awaiting his conference he'd sent for only a moment beforehand. Everything was silent, the perfect time for a few considerations he'd been tossing about in his mind for a few weeks now.

It'd been ten years, and still no sign.

The doors opened, and a man walked into the room, shutting them behind himself. The King turned to face him, the armored soldier brandishing a sword across his back that was a heavy and thick broad sword. His armor was jet black, his face scarred from battle, and he was completely bald, a clean shaved head. Walking toward his King standing on the raise of steps in the floor which lead to the windows that overlooked a good bit of the fields and mountains outside in the distance, he dropped down to his knee and bowed his head forward.

"My Liege, you called for me?"

Seeing his subordinate's show of fealty, Ganondorf turned without response and walked over toward his chair, though not the throne itself, and stepped before it. "You may rise, Arden."

Hearing these words, the bulky man rose to his feet again and turned his one blue eye, one white eye toward his king, the scar gracing his face a sharp mark heading from his right cheek up through the right side of his forehead, being the eye that was also completely white, giving the soldier a menacing look, especially when coupled with his rough, weathered face.

Once he'd stood and given the King his direct attention, Ganondorf went on, "It's been ten years, Arden. Where are they?"

Arden was silent for only a moment before he replied, "Kept hidden by someone who thwarts you."

"Is this fact you speak?"

The question was left in the air for a moment, Arden understanding why his king had asked that. He shook his head no in response, "No, my lord. Only possibility. Am I right to assume that you grow weary of searching?"

He watched his king take in a deep breath through his nose before exhaling it slowly, finally admitting, "I grow impatient. I understand the way of fate, the deals of fortune and time, but for now, I'm impatient for them, and time is not something I wish to continue drawing out."

Arden didn't respond to the words, allowing his king the opportunity to say more, only speaking when asked to. Waiting, Ganondorf continued after a moment, "You were there, ten years ago, when I claimed the crown, and you've been my right hand ever since. My first order of business was to find the chosen ones and have them brought to me, a task I still haven't fulfilled. But as more time passes, I come to realize that inevitably they will come to me regardless, though as my enemies instead of the fledglings I would have preferred."

"Sir, if I may, had you brought them here as fledglings, I don't believe your kingdom would be as strong as it is now."

The words genuinely surprised Ganondorf, a raised brow given. "Explain that to me, Captain."

Arden wasted no time and gave Ganondorf the explanation he'd requested. "With them out there, you've showed that you will not falter. This gives your armies even more reason to fight for you. They will not let go of their duties and lose all when they've worked to accomplish so much for you. No man would just hand over ten years worth of hard labor."

Finally, the King showed some expression on his face, a slow smile creeping onto his lips, and he nodded, "I'd thought of that, but it surprises me that you have. I'm pleased, Arden. So, since you know so much," he went on, standing once more, "then it shouldn't surprise you that I've decided to change my tactics."

"You're calling off your search?"

"The search has already ended, Arden, long ago in fact. I already have what I need to bring them both to me and keep them behaved easily. Searching for them was partly a ruse to know exactly what's being played out in this Kingdom. Though, the more time that passes," he admitted, "the more restless I've grown. It's right there on the horizon, it just hasn't completely dawned yet. So in the meantime, I've decided to change my tactics to defense. For now."

"Defense?"

"Yes," Ganondorf replied almost tactically, "I want to fortify this place until Myriad awakens. That will be the tell tale sign that the Hero of Legend is coming. That will be the dawn."

Arden nodded his head slowly, familiar with some of the tales of Legend himself as his king was so familiar with. He watched his king turning to walk back to peering out of the window once again at the scenery in the distance, and as he did, there was only one question on his mind.

"My lord, might I ask you, how will you know when Myriad awakens?"

Ganondorf turned his head slightly at the question, then looked back to the window again and out of it, replying simply, "The stones will return to life."

---

"Link!"

The seventeen year old awoke to hearing his name being called on a very cold desert morning. It'd been nearly ten years having passed after he'd fallen away from his untold history, and Link stretched awake in his room settled atop a short tower of homes when the sound roused him from his slumber. Reaching up once his muscles felt comfortably loose again, he pushed the flap of his window open, setting it with a stick to keep it from falling closed again. Looking down below at the Gerudo Village in which he lived and had a nice vantage point of from the height of his room, he saw Nabooru heading up the ladder set against the wall, so he pushed his door open to let her inside.

Climbing into the young man's room, Nabooru pulled herself up and glanced over at him to see him dragging a brush through his blonde hair since it'd been mussed from sleep. It had gotten somewhat long, but the back of it he usually kept tied into a small ponytail at the base of his neck. Link had grown up strong, something Nabooru was proud of, watching as he tied his hair back with a simple band around it, and she smirked, "You know, it doesn't matter what you do, Masita's still going to like you, handsome or not."

Link cringed at the words a slight bit, pushing himself up to stand as he thought about the young woman named Masita whom was about five years older than himself that had taken a good liking to him since his stay in the Gerudo Valley, and he looked at Nabooru with a little smirk. "I know. She's not indirect about it."

"No, she's a very forward woman," Nabooru chuckled out. Looking him over, she narrowed her eyes as she leaned in a bit to apparently inspect something on or by his face. Link blinked, and Nabooru said, "Hold still a moment, let me look at this."

The second earring he'd gotten, which had been put in a few nights ago, looked a little red around the piercing, and she pushed the earring to see his reaction. He cringed a slight bit, showing that it hurt a little but not enough to make him jerk away or bat at her hands. Nabooru lifted one of her brows and told him, "Did you know about this?

"No, it wasn't like that last night. Do you think it's infected?"

"Only a little irritated, that's all. Some potion should clear it right up." Nabooru stood back, letting go of his pointed ear, then and she asked, "So, did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," he replied, looking at her curiously. "Why, do we have to go somewhere today?"

With a nod, Nabooru went to a cabinet in his room where there were a few personal supplies, soap and the like, as well as medicines, and found what she was looking for. "Yes, and we won't arrive there until tomorrow," she informed him as she pulled out a small vile of green liquid, "I know your memory's a little off, but do you know the name Kakariko?"

Link thought back, sitting down on the edge of his bed, wondering if he had, in fact, heard the name before. Finally, he sighed with a shrug, "I've given up on my memory working right for now. It rings a slight bell though, why?"

"Well," Nabooru replied, turning to take a seat in a chair he had sitting next to the window near his bed. "It's a village in Hyrule. As it turns out, they've opened a new Tavern and they want to pay us top rupee for Desert Wine. So we're delivering a batch to them."

Nabooru headed back to the bed took hold of the earring gently, pulling it free of his earlobe. Allowing her to, he looked back up and watched while she poured a little of the liquid over the silver hoop, telling her as she did so, "That's great," as he smiled. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"Well, considering you haven't been there yet, I figured it might be another place to look."

Done with the earring, she went to put it back into his ear, and as the potion began to wash over his skin, she watched the red slowly fading from it. Once it was back to its natural peach color, she nodded in satisfaction and put the top back onto the potion. Using the liquid in small doses like that helped sometimes for skin irritations and even infections while drinking it revitalized you through the means of magic. There were different types of potions throughout the world, some of it hard to come by and fairly expensive, only a select few people really knowing how to make it well enough that it could effectively heal a wound that needed treatment. This was common knowledge throughout the lands and if you had that skill, chances were you probably had a little money stored up somewhere, or at least had the option for it.

Though Link and Nabooru weren't really paying any attention to this, their minds settled on the thought of the trip she'd mentioned to him. Nabooru had suggested Link go, and even smiled when she'd said it, but he could tell there was something there she wasn't saying, something that seemed somewhat unhappy. While he hated to point anything out to her like that, he decided he should make sure that was the case, and find out if anything was wrong before he started assuming too much.

"You know," he started, "you never did seem too happy about trying to find out where I was from even though you look eager to whenever you mention it. I think you don't like the thought of letting me go."

Nabooru couldn't help her smile over the words, shrugging a slight bit, "I've still tried, haven't I?" As she asked, she turned to sit in a chair near his bed while they talked.

"I know," Link pointed out with a nod of agreement, "you have. I just thought I'd point it out to you. I wanted to make sure I wasn't assuming that was the case."

Nabooru was still smiling even now, but there was a sad look in her eyes. Seeing this, Link turned to face her completely on his mattress, a slightly concerned look given. "Are you okay?"

Nabooru nodded her head, telling him, "Yes, just thinking. I know I wouldn't have been happy if you'd found your real home and left us, well, I would have, but a part of me would have been sad. When I found you all those years ago, all I could think of was the son I had that would have been about your age, and I couldn't help wondering what had happened to him, thinking maybe this was a replacement for me, as terrible as that sounds, I know. But I couldn't help thinking it nonetheless, wanting what I'd lost back."

"It's not terrible to want to have your kid back," Link told her, "and besides, you've been good to me. I don't know what my life was like before, but saying it was good, I think I got an even trade. I'm glad I got to live here if I couldn't stay where I came from."

"So am I," Nabooru replied with a smile, glad he wasn't offended by her admittance that she'd wanted him to stay deep down, then she sat forward and leaned on her elbows. "Not to mention _I've_ gotten very popular with the girls who want to ask for you," she grinned impishly.

Link cleared his throat, a slight blush staining his cheeks, and he pursed his lips, making Nabooru snicker. "I'm teasing, well, I'm also being honest, but just teasing you over it. After all, you _have_ grown up into a very handsome young man."

Link wasn't too embarrassed by a woman's attentions, after all, he'd grown up around several woman and was fairly used to it. But sometimes he managed a little blush over Nabooru's teasing for little reasons she didn't know about, mostly because he liked to keep that aspect of his life personal and didn't really like to speak of it with anyone else.

So he just grinned at the words, knowing he was apparently a good looking young man if the tribe in which he lived told him the truth with their opinions, though he didn't like to think too highly of his looks just because it was so conceited to do so. But his mind went to another subject altogether, breaking away from that of himself with the opposite sex and with an inquisitive glance, he looked over at Nabooru and asked her, "You never told me more about your son. What happened to him?"

Nabooru knew she'd have to tell Link eventually, and even though he knew the child had either been taken from her or killed, she hadn't elaborated on it any. So perhaps now was the time to. After all, Link was old enough to understand the story, and so she took a breath in order to let it all out to him.

"It was almost eighteen years ago now. I met a man at Hyrule Palace whom went by the name Druno. Being the typical young Gerudo I was, I wasn't very pleasant to him at first, but over time, he proved to be worthy of my attentions, so finally, I payed them to him. He was very kind to me, very attractive too, and while I was in Hyrule on relations business for the Gerudo to help our people keep their place in the world, I would pay visit to the court often because I wanted to see him again."

"He was a fairly powerful wizard in his own right, as well as one of the advisors to the royal family. I think I felt for him a bit more deeply than I should have, but as I had to return to my own people, I wanted to make sure he wouldn't forget me, and he promised to come see me. So I left with that promise in mind and the hope to see him again."

Nabooru stared off into the distance for a moment once she'd told him this, and Link considered how he'd never seen her so deep in thought before. She was usually very optimistic and joking, full of smiles, but now she seemed so sad. Maybe this was the one bad part of her life that could make her be that way, as it seemed everyone had a dark spot or two on their past that could make them be unlike themselves, so he paid close attention to her quietly. After a moment of thought, she went on.

"When I returned here, I found out I was pregnant, and nearly six months passed before I saw Druno again. He wasn't the same man I remembered. There were fragments there, but he was so cold somehow, and seemed interested in me only because I was bearing his child. I became afraid that the reason was that Druno wanted a son so he could lay claim to the Gerudo, and had it been another girl, he would have just left me behind completely. But I was too afraid to confront him over this, though the rest of the tribe did, and they drove him out. I had the baby, and he turned out to be a boy, destined to be our new ruler. I named him Balson and put all of my love and efforts into him instead of the man who'd broken my heart."

"When the child was nearing five months old, a terrible sand storm came through. We lost many homes that night, much of the village was destroyed, and a few of our people died. I was at home, taking care of Balson, and I fell asleep with him laying on my chest. Sometime during the middle of the night, I heard a laugh, loud and twisted, and I woke up to find my son was gone. Later, other's said they'd heard the same kind of laughter, but no one spied any intruders that evening."

A few tears had rolled down Nabooru's cheeks, considering the child she'd lost and how she'd tried so hard to find him. Reaching to her cheeks, she began wiping them away, trying to prevent herself from showing so much emotion as she was a proud woman, and didn't like to be seen crying too much. Opening her eyes again, she looked down and saw that Link had held out a handkerchief to her.

"Your makeup's a little smudged," he told her, pretending that she wasn't crying at all.

Nabooru appreciated his trying to keep her pride intact, and she smiled, taking the handkerchief saying to him, "Thank you, Link. Well, as you can imagine, no one knew how someone could have survived that storm, being out in it like that, much less a five month old baby, but," she sighed, "I think he's still alive, somewhere, I just don't know where."

Link pursed his lips a slight bit in thought over the story. The tale really was a sad one, and he could only imagine the heartache Nabooru must've felt. Maybe even his own parents, who probably thought he'd been dead for all of these years, had felt this kind of pain. Glancing down, he supposed that the similarities between his and her plights were why they got along so well from the beginning.

Seeing the look on Link's face, she said, "I can only hope that wherever he is, he yearns to know me the way you yearn to know your own past. I want you to find your family, I really do. I know the pain they could be feeling. If I've ever acted as if I didn't, it's just because I feel the same way so much."

"If they're alive at all," Link spoke up, then turned his head up to look at her. Nabooru could see he was thinking on something, and she watched as he stood up and walked over to her, bending down on a knee before her, kneeling to take both of her hands into his. Nabooru watched him quietly as he looked up at her and began to speak.

"I'm old enough to care for myself, Nabooru, and I've been old enough to leave on my own for a while now, but I haven't because you're just as much my family as anyone else. Still, hearing this, I know I need to find them before too much longer, so after we deliver the wine tomorrow, I think I should go look for them, really look for them. But that doesn't mean you've lost me. I'll come back here often, I promise."

A slow smile crept across Nabooru's face, knowing it might be easier for him by himself to find what he was looking for, and she leaned down to hug him. He was just, well, leaving the nest so to speak, if he did this, and she could definitely live with that. She didn't need to tell him how welcome he would always be there whenever he came back either, he knew that already.

"You're not as old as you think, Link," she told him, "but you've got a good head on your shoulders, so that definitely makes up for you lack of years."

A short while later, barrels had been loaded up onto a wagon which was now being carried from the Gerudo Valley and toward the lands of Hyrule, ready to be delivered to Kakariko. Driving the cart as they went along, Link considered what might be waiting for him, settled behind the horses carrying the brew in order to drive them. Who knew, maybe Kakariko was the one place he needed to go to get started.


	8. Delivery

_Chapter 7 - Delivery_

Shamrock was in quite the mood it seemed. Mira was watching him as he cleaned his bar off, whistling a happy tune. Glancing up at the fairy harboring over her shoulder, Nissa asked, "What's got _him_ so cheerful?"

Mira could only shrug. They'd both just arrived at the Tavern called Shamrock's to deliver a batch of goods that Mira grew in her garden, as well as some eggs, and she carried the crate over to a table and called his name, "Good afternoon, Shamrock. Why are you so happy?"

The older, bearded man stood up straight from shining his bar down with a clothe and looked over, smiling when he saw the seventeen year old with her pretty long hair and deep violet blue eyes. "Good afternoon, little lady. It's a beautiful day, the sun's shining and the birds are singing, so I'm happy," he told her with a little grin.

"I see," Mira drew out, her smirk and tone of voice coy as she started setting the things she'd brought to him out to be sorted and stored away while he walked over to help her do so. The Tavern had only opened a week ago, but it had already drawn a good bit of attention from locals and travelers alike. It was a nice place no doubt, warm and friendly, brown wooden walls and floors built by the best carpenters that Shamrock could find in their end of Hyrule.

Mira delivered goods to places in the village twice a week as a part of her work. She had a knack for growing things, and several times people would visit her cabin home in order to give her orders for certain crops that weren't ready to be harvested just yet, which she would bring to them later once they were. Shamrock was the final destination she had on her rounds of deliveries for that day, so she was content to linger for a short bit and speak with the older man whom everyone in the village thought of as a grandfather.

"Is that so?," she asked him, getting back to the reason he was happy, "Because rumor has it you've got some kind of top secret shipment incoming."

Shamrock started chuckling, putting up a loaf of bread into one of his cabinets as he commented, "The wise, all knowing Mira has heard. So, did you hear what that shipment happens to be?"

"No actually, since you ask," Mira smiled, taking the now empty crate to be settled near the door so she could grab it before she left. "But since I'm here," she added, walking toward the bar and sitting on a stool, pulling a red rupee out of the pouch on her belt which she set onto the counter, "I'll listen to everything over a cup of Honey Tea if you don't mind."

Shamrock, heading back behind the bar, grinned as he reached for the brew he already had going, taking a cup from his rack in order to pour the tea into it, and as he did so, he told her, "Don't worry, it's on the house. And sorry, that's a surprise."

Nissa, who'd sat on Mira's shoulder once the tea had been poured, pried by saying, "Awww, come on, Shamrock. The best part of a surprise is spoiling it! We're not gonna tell anyone!"

Chuckling, the old man sat the kettle of tea back down and pulled out a dish of sugar cubes to settle before them both, then leaned his hands on the bar counter while Mira took one of them to dissolve in her drink. "I can't do that, I don't trust you," he teased them. "But I'll give you a hint since you're so curious. It comes from a dry place."

Mira tilted her head to the side in thought, taking a second cube which she lifted to Nissa to let the fairy have some of it, and Nissa took the cube into her lap to nibble on it. "I do like puzzles better than flat out being spoiled I suppose," Mira mused. "When is the shipment coming in?"

"Should be here in a few hours," Shamrock informed her, "so you've got until then to figure it out."

"Well, I need more than a dry place. Is it a drink or some type or a food?"

"It's a drink," Shamrock nodded, "I'll give you that much."

"Hmm, a drink from a dry place," Mira replied, sipping more of her tea. She could only wonder what kind of dry place he might've been talking about. Nissa lifted herself off of Mira's shoulder and moved over toward Shamrock, floating before his face as she asked more questions.

"Is it rare?"

"Very," he smirked. "But no more questions. You'll both find out with everyone else."

"Alright," Mira said, smiling. "I'll just be patient then. Maybe I'll figure it out on the way back here later this evening when I come to relax a bit, hmm?"

"It's possible," Shamrock grinned. "I tell you what, if you do guess before you actually find out, I'll give you a free slice of chocolate pie, and Nissa can have some raspberries."

"Oh! Raspberries, my favorite!" The little fairy chimed in. "We better figure this out, Mira, you love that chocolate he makes too!"

Mira grinned over Nissa's enthusiasm as she sipped a little more of her drink before settling it back down onto the counter. "Sounds like fun."

"Well, this is Shamrock's," the old man chuckled, pulling a seat up behind the bar in order to shuffle through some playing cards. Watching him, knowing better than to engage the man whose reputation in card games was known for being ruthless and never losing often, she considered his name and wondered if that was _why_ he never lost. After all, being named after a good luck charm must have helped a lot.

"So," he started while Mira enjoyed her tea, "do you know what I heard?"

"What's that?" Mira asked in reply.

"Well, there's been talk that the King is issuing a demand for raised taxes on certain items that are pretty common like sugar and milk."

Mira was in the middle of drinking, and she almost choked, giving Shamrock an incredulous look. "Whatever for? Because they're so common? But even then, Hyrule isn't in financial turmoil."

"I know," Shamrock nodded, "but it had something to do with needing money for construction of some type. Still, there are other ways to get funding. It seems to me like the older that new King of ours gets, the worse he becomes at ruling us, but don't tell anyone I said that."

Mira narrowed her brows and turned a somewhat dejected look at her cup. With a shake of her head, she made a soft sigh, "I have to agree with you. Any time I hear news from the Palace, it's always gloomy, and rarely ever suits the needs of the people, but makes them bend to suit it instead. It isn't fair one bit."

"You're right. Just between us lowly peasants," he chuckled, "I get the feeling sometimes that anything King Ganondorf ever does is just to suit his own whims. As if he has an underlying cause for almost everything."

Mira sighed, pushing some of her bronzed blonde hair behind her pointed ear. "I'd like to have more faith in my kingdom than that," she admitted, "but I have this nagging feeling that you're completely right. A ruler shouldn't bend his people. They should work for him, and when their need arises, the ruler should find a way to fulfill it so his kingdom doesn't go under. Sometimes it seems to be the complete opposite these days. If things continue on like this, what will be left?"

"It won't be pretty," Shamrock replied. "But I thought to tell you incase you're surprised on the raised prices of such common items. Just as a warning."

Giving Shamrock a grateful smile, Mira sat her now empty cup down and told him, "Thank you. We'll all just have to try to watch out for one another, right?" She then looked over at Nissa, asking, "What about you? Finished with your high priced sugar cube yet?"

Nissa snickered, saying, "It tasted like a regular sugar cube to me, why's it so pricey!?"

The little joke made Shamrock chuckle softly as Mira rose from her stool and pushed it beneath the bar again. "You're welcome, Mira. Come back to see me tonight."

"I will," she promised him as she turned to walk to the door of the establishment. Once, there, she leaned down and lifted the empty crate, then opened the door and gave him a kind goodbye.

A few moments later, heading down the roadside and back home, finished with her door to door deliveries for the day, Mira took a slight detour through the woods instead of sticking to the main road in the village just because the time of year was pretty, and the leaves were changing colors. Nissa commented on it as they walked, saying how nice it really was that day, and Mira agreed by nodding her head. The fairy was right.

"Impa was right, you know," Nissa then pointed out. "She said things would steadily decline unless something was done to stop it."

Mira thought about that for a moment, remembering what Impa had told her about the King, a secret that Mira had never told anyone, but one that she knew Impa wasn't lying over. "Well, if what she said of Ganondorf was true, then it's not hard to see why."

"Which part?"

Stopping in her trek, Mira sat down on a tree stump and set the crate beside of herself, wanting to relax alone for a few minutes with Nissa before she went anywhere else. It was quiet, peaceful, only the breeze blowing through the tree branches making any sound at all. Once she was settled down, she told Nissa her reply.

"Oh, you remember, that," she looked around before she continued, making sure no one else was near by that she didn't know about, saying on a softer voice, "he wasn't the true child of the King and Queen, and was switched out with their daughter, brainwashed by a powerful mage to believe he was their son."

"Oh yeah, that part." Nissa replied, then asked, "But do you _really_ think a parent could be fooled over who is their real child?"

"Well, there are some very powerful magics out there, Nissa. If fallen into the wrong hands, it could be used for terrible purposes."

"That's not nice at all," Nissa grumbled out, settling herself on Mira's lap, going into thought over everything. It started to grow quiet, and when Nissa realized that Mira hadn't made much of a sound at all, she glanced up to see a very distant look on Mira's face that was somewhat sad. So Nissa stood up and called her name. "Are you okay?"

Mira blinked her eyes and looked down at her lap and the fairy standing in it. Realizing she'd began to daydream, she nodded her head, "Yes, Nissa. I'm just thinking."

"But you look so dejected."

"I know," she replied, "I was just thinking too hard again." A smile lit Mira's cheeks. "I didn't mean to worry you."

Nissa lifted into the air and moved toward Mira's cheek, giving her a tiny kiss, replying with the words, "It's okay, Mira, I know. You've been this way for a few weeks now though. Sometimes you just start daydreaming out of no where, and you look so sad when you do it. Is there a specific reason?"

Considering it for a moment, Mira tilted her head to the side a bit. There was a reason, one she hadn't really mentioned yet. "Well, I've been dreaming a lot lately."

"What about?"

Parting her lips, she went to speak, but she was interrupted by the sound of horses in the distance, which made her brows narrow. Completely distracted from her thoughts of the dreams she'd been having, she stood up from the tree stump she'd been sitting on, her long dark blue skirt falling into place around her legs.

"Who's that?" Nissa asked.

"I don't know. I think, oh," she drew out, remembering then what it could be. "Maybe it's the shipment Shamrock's getting?"

Nissa flew into the air ahead of Mira and flickered her wings a few times excitedly, making the chiming sound she sometimes did. "Ohhh! But, if we can't figure out Shamrock's puzzle before they arrive, we won't win his guessing game!"

Smiling again, Mira turned to pick her crate up from the ground, telling the fairy as she did so, "I think Shamrock will give you raspberries anyway, Nissa. He's always been fond of you."

"I suppose so," Nissa said humbly, "but I'm curious. Should we go greet them and find out what he's gotten?"

When the fairy asked the question, Mira decided to go along with it and she nodded, moving to head out to the trail and greet them. Most of the horses were nicely kept and the ones carrying the cart were covered with red and gold fleeces, a symbol on the side of the fleece that Mira had never seen before. But that wasn't what completely caught her attention as the small caravan rounded the corner, stopping short of showing herself from within the shroud of trees hiding her. Instead, her attention was focused on the driver lightly slapping his reigns against the backs of the horses.

Nissa had stopped as well, knowing the face, though seventeen years older now, and she gasped out the name that Mira had been thinking. "Link!?"

The name seemed to jar Mira from her stupor, and she backed up, hiding a little more solidly behind the trunk of a tree, dropping her crate in the proccess. When she moved to do so, Nissa gave her a highly confused look, "Why are you hiding!?"

"I...because...I don't know, is that really him?"

"It has to be, it looks just like him!" Nissa spoke the words enthusiastically, her wings tinkling with sound as she did so.

Mira watched the caravan as Nissa suggested that. She was right, the young man did look similar to the boy she'd known ten years ago now. Sitting at the front of the carriage, his hair was the same tone of blonde that Link's had been, cropped around his angular face, and the only differences that Mira could see was both his clothing of course, and his build being so much older now.

But the longer she looked, the more she realized that the garb the women riding on the horses in the back of the carriage was lacking in much clothing, as if they came from a very warm place. Shamrock's words suddenly made sense to her. A dry place was the desert, and Desert Wine was some of the rarest there was considering it was only made by the Gerudo, and a popular drink to be had in the lands of Hyrule.

All of the rumors Mira had heard over the years of a Gerudo woman looking for someone who knew a boy with Link's description came crashing down onto her at once, and she knew this had to be him. She could feel her palms getting balmy, and her heart had started racing, her ears ringing. All she could do was stare in both confoundment and in nervousness over seeing him again, so unlike the way she thought she would react, which was to run right up to him and tackle him completely.

"Mira!?" Nissa started, "You're just hiding there! Go out and call his name! I bet he'll respond!"

Mira took a deep breath and she shook her head, "I can't, I don't know why, but I can't. What if it's not him?"

"Mira, it _has_ to be! He's with the Gerudo like we heard from all of those travelers that he could be!," Nissa piped in cheerfully, "I'm going to see him!"

"Wait! Nissa, don't!"

It was too late however. Nissa had already flown out from the canopy of branches and leaves and toward the caravan as Mira reached her hand out to stop her. Some of the Gerudo women spotted her coming from their horse's backs, but they said nothing of it. Except one, whom called out, "I thought fairies weren't too common here."

"They're not," another replied.

"Well, then this is a rare treat to see one."

"Where?"

Nissa ignored the comments of fairy spotting, making her way to the front of the cart carrying the barrels, and she stopped near the young man driving it, who glanced over at her with somewhat narrowed brows in slight surprise. He seemed somewhat bothered about something somehow, but what exactly was anyone's guess. Nissa couldn't help but giggle despite this fact however, and the sound made the young man blink.

"Hello," she drew out, "I'm Nissa. What's your name?"

"It's," he paused for a moment in a slight bit of confusion over the fairy's sudden interest in talking to him, "Link."

Mira gasped from where she was hiding, steadily keeping herself in the shadows as she moved along with the slow moving cart from behind the bushes. It _was_ him! He was alive and he was here! A million questions began to play through the seventeen year old's head but Nissa's giggling drew her from her thoughts as the fairy started speaking again.

"Oh really!?"

"Yes," he drew out somewhat uncertainly, though not in an unfriendly manner at all. He just wasn't too sure what to think about certain things at that point in time. But he looked ahead again to drive his cart as they spoke, trying to remain natural in his mannerisms. The buildings could be seen in the distance by that time though, and once he sighted them, he sighed, shaking his head slowly. Ever since he'd been on this road, something had seemed eerily familiar to him, making him feel somehow out of place and reaching out, he tugged on the reigns, drawing the horses to a stop.

The rest of the horses behind the wine toting cart stopped behind him as well, except for one, a more dressed up woman than the rest who must have been their leader. She moved around them and toward the front, calling out, "Link? Why did you stop? What happened?"

"Sorry, Nabooru," Link replied, turning to climb off of the seat, "I need to take a short break."

As he landed on the soft earth near the horse Nabooru was riding on toward him, he looked up to hear her asking, "Oh? Are you alright? Eaten properly before we left?"

"Yeah, I did," he replied, "just need to take care of some business."

"Oh, I get it," she grinned, "go on, we'll wait here for you."

"Thanks, Nabooru," he replied, moving toward the woods. Unknowing she was there, Mira watched him quietly while he moved. Nissa was following at a distance, and as Link walked, she called out to him.

"I need to speak with you when you're done, is that okay?"

Link came to a slow stop by some trees, leaning against one, and Nissa waited for an answer. When he didn't respond though, she moved in closer, asking, "Link? Did you hear me?"

"Yes," he told her, then looked over at her. "What did you need to talk about?"

The fairy flew in closer and inspected him, seeing how odd he was acting now. "Are you okay, Link? You look all sweaty and bothered. What's wrong?"

He was remembering things. Overwhelmed by these new memories, he couldn't help feeling a bit sweaty and anxious, unsure of what was coming back to him, and he turned to look the forest over. Something about it just called to his mind, as if to remind him of everything he'd forgotten, even the way the branches swayed in the soft breeze, and he wasn't sure how to handle it exactly.

Finally, he told the fairy, "This is where I'm from."

Mira was listening closely from the shadows. The words didn't make much sense to her. Why would that bother him? Nissa seemed to know what to say though, once more breaking through Mira's musings.

"Why is that bothering you?"

"Because I couldn't remember. I," he looked over at the fairy, then shook his head, "nevermind. You wouldn't understand."

Nissa didn't seem like she wanted to stop questioning him however as Link changed the subject, but she did when she heard a voice saying, "Nissa, come back here."

With the voice came Link's attention to it, and he looked up as the fairy who'd been talking to him flew off. From the shadows emerged a young lady about his age, wearing a dark blue peasant's dress, with bronzed blonde hair that rolled down her back and over her shoulders, and violet blue eyes. Seeing her, his head perked up, and Mira went on in explanation to Nissa, "He doesn't remember anything, Nissa. That's why it bothers him. He lost his memory of this place when he fell that night."

The memory Mira spoke of was coming back steadily though, and seeing Mira, it all crashed into him once more as if it'd never been gone to begin with. Had it been a physical force, Link probably would have been knocked completely over. The night on Death Mountain, Casimir, Alma, the soldiers and wagons.

And her. "Mira," Link spoke, moving away from the tree and toward her.

Now that she was closer, as he drew toward her, she could see that he had definitely grown into a strapping young man, the off-white tunic he wore under a dark brown vest making him look nice in some way she couldn't place. His tan pants were stuffed into his knee high brown boots, and there were a pair of leather gauntlets on his wrists with matching fingerless gloves on his hands, those of an archer. Mira wondered to herself if he'd learned how to do that while he'd been away, but it was one of the last thoughts in the back of her mind, the first one to be wondering if he was really here, standing before her now, her heart pounding and head swimming that it might be true.

"Is it," he stopped short, standing just before her now, "it's you, right?"

She felt frozen again, but managed a nod of her head, "Yes." Tears starting to stream down her cheeks, "Yes, it's me, Link."

They both seemed to pause in place for a moment, staring at one another in both disbelief and in relief. His memories took him through almost everything he could gather of the young woman before him in that moment, up until the last thing he could clearly remember which was running from soldiers with her, and he knew something had happened afterwards, something that led to him falling, but it was still unclear. Something about her hand. He was hanging from her hand? That had to be it. He'd been staring up at her, begging him to keep holding on, but eventually, he'd lost his grip.

Mira's own mind had gone back to the last time she'd seen him falling off of the cliff, the look on his face the instance their hands broke apart from one another, and she moved toward him and hugged him tightly. Link had reacted in kind, putting his arms around her sides. As they embraced, she heard Link telling her, "I couldn't remember anything about my life before the Gerudo took me in. But seeing your face is bringing everything back somehow, because it's so familiar to me."

Mira took in a breath, trying to get hold of herself, knowing somehow that after he'd fallen, he must've have been in bad condition, hit his head maybe, and couldn't remember any of his past before the fall because nothing in the desert was a reminder to him, which of course explained why he had never come back to them before now even though he was capable of it.

She really couldn't help her tears, a relief of ten years worth of grief seeming to lift its heavy weight from her heart, and she tried to contain herself, but even still, her sniffles progressed as she asked him, "Are you alright? Do you need to sit down?"

"I'm," he thought about that for a moment, "I'm fine, Mira, much better now. I wasn't sure why I was feeling so anxious, but now I know. I wasn't sure of what I would remember, and didn't know what to do about it."

Mira didn't want to stop hugging him as he told her this, and neither did he. Her grip tightened on him as the reality filled her mind, bombarded by the years of worry, "I missed you so much," she sniffled, "I thought you died in the fall that night. But then I kept hearing rumors about someone fitting your description in traveling caravans, and I wasn't sure what to think."

Link's eyes had closed as he took in his breath, even her scent familiar to him he noticed. He wanted to reply to her, but he wasn't exactly sure what to say in that moment. He hadn't missed her in specific because he couldn't remember her, though it was all too clear to him now who the little girl he kept thinking of was. Maybe that meant he _did_ miss her, just in a different kind of way. So he finally told her, "I missed you too, even if I couldn't remember you. Now that I do, I wish I would have known about this place before, maybe I could've found you sooner."

Continuing to hug her, Mira didn't notice the woman walking up toward them, though Link did, and when she felt him lifting his head and looking back, she heard a voice asking, "I thought you needed to relieve yourself. Lo and behold I find you wooing the locals."

The words were spoken playfully, and Mira gasped softly and looked over at the red headed Gerudo named Nabooru that Link had conversed with earlier before he'd come into the woods and found his memories again. She then glanced up at Link as he turned and lifted one of his hands to scratch his ear, an impish look on his face, saying, "I kind of did come to relieve myself, but it was because I've been remembering things. And now," he looked at Mira, "I remember everything again." His blue eyes went back to the Gerudo leader and he added, "I don't think everything's back yet, but most of it's there now."

Nabooru looked surprised, and she walked toward them both, standing about three feet away, asking Link, "Really? This is someone you knew then?" Her attention turned to Mira, her eyes summing her up.

"Yes, this is actually my," he shrugged his shoulders, "sister, childhood friend, Mira. We were adopted by a woman named Alma and her husband in this Village when we were babies. I don't think we're actually related though, but she's the only family I've ever had as far as I know."

Nabooru looked at Link again, as if to compare them, and she grinned, "Hard to say, you both have those Hylian ears. But I'm happy for you." Then she turned her head toward Mira and bowed respectfully, "I'm Nabooru, it's good to meet someone from Link's actual past. I can't tell you how surprised I am that we finally found out more about it. Ten years was a long time after all."

Mira returned the respectful bow, and then replied, "Yes it was. I'm pleased to meet you, and indebted to you, Nabooru, for taking care of him. We thought he'd fallen to his death that night we lost him, and ever since, Nissa's kept me company where Link wasn't there anymore. Oh, and this is Nissa," she waved her hand to the fairy.

"How do you do," came the fairy's sweet voice. "We missed Link a lot around these parts, everyone who knew him chatted about him from time to time fondly."

"Likewise," Nabooru replied with a grin, "we've all grown fond of the lad. I think Masita has grown a bit more fond of Link than others though," she winked playfully at Link, and Mira looked up to catch the fainted hint of a blush on his cheeks as he sighed.

"Knock it off," he smirked playfully, then looked over at Mira, "she likes to tease me because she says I'm so handsome and the girls like me."

"You are!," Nabooru replied with a wave of her hand, "But we have a schedule to keep, Link. So why don't you stay here with Mira and talk for a while, and we'll go ahead and deliver the wine."

"No, I should go with you first and finish my job."

Nabooru shook her head no at him, knowing how Link was fairly serious about his duty, despite the fact that he liked to sleep in often, and she lifted her hand to stop him. "If you just randomly show back up, everyone will ask a lot of questions. For now, the task needs to be finished without all of the commotion. Then I'll come back to get you after I let them know you're here."

Link considered that way of doing things, and he couldn't say he disagreed with it. Then he looked at Mira and asked her, "Are you–"

"Don't be silly, Link, of course I'm not too busy to talk to you!," Mira smiled at him. "I think she's right. Besides, once Shamrock knows, everyone will know." She smiled and heard Nissa snickering over the joke.

Link grinned at her, then nodded his head, listening as Nabooru chuckled and turned to walk off, "It's settled then. You go catch up with the lady and I'll let everyone know that someone's coming back to them that they thought they'd lost a long time ago."

"Thanks again, Nabooru. We'll see you later." He spoke the last line with a double meaning, letting her know through those words that his promise still stood true.

She waved a hand at them, smiling brightly at Link as she left the two alone, and Mira waved back with her own smile. "She seems pretty nice. And playful."

"She can be," Link joked with her, then turned to face Mira again, seeming once more lost in thought. She'd grown up so nicely, he considered, unable to help it really, and now that he had the time to, he looked her over. The last time he'd seen her, she was a seven year old girl, and now, well, she was essentially a woman. He knew she was going to be beautiful when he was a kid, though she'd always been pretty, he considered, but he didn't know just how beautiful she'd become. Looking her over, the ankle length blue skirt flowing down around her legs, the criss-cross tie of the bodice fastened over her chest, revealing the hints of her female curves, and her much longer hair than back then along with her peach colored skin just made him stare for a moment, unable to help himself.

Mira reached for his hand though, breaking through his considerations, under the assumption that he was just remembering things now, so she wanted to get his attention back. "Should we go to our usual spot at the fishing pond and talk there?"

Link thought about that for a second, remembering the pond, and he smiled, "Oh yeah, the pond. Alright, it sounds good."


	9. Reminiscence

_Chapter 8 - Reminiscence_

"You still have it!"

The ten years that had passed between them hadn't made Mira forget what she'd given Link so long ago. After all, it was the one thing she still had to connect her to her parents, and she smiled when she saw the pretty blue gem with the silver chain it was attached to. Now that she was older, she recognized the symbol on the back of it as that of the royal family of Hyrule, and now that she noticed that, it somehow bore a bittersweet meaning to her.

Impa's story of the Princess of Hyrule rang out in her mind.

The sigh she let when she saw the symbol caused her childhood friend to look at her with a bit of confused worry on his face, wondering what could have been wrong, evident in his blue eyes. Seeing the look he expressed, she shook her head and let go of the necklace she'd taken gingerly into her fingertips, telling him she was fine.

"I'm alright, I was just considering all of the time we've lost," she explained with a quaint little smile.

He watched her taking her step back after inspecting the amulet he wore, standing near the shore of the fishing pond now with her, and as she stepped back, he took the amulet into his own hand. Somewhat unsure, he asked her, "Don't you...want it back?"

"No, no," she shook her head, lifting her hand to his to stop him from taking the amulet off. "No, really, I gave it to you as a gift to prove our friendship. You've had it for all of these years. I want you to keep it now, its yours."

She looked back at his face, watching him purse his lips to the side, seeming to consider it for a moment as he slowly let it rest back against his chest again. "Well, I still don't feel right keeping it," he started, "I mean, it's all you have left of your parents. You might need it some day."

Mira's sudden snickering, her hand covering her mouth, made Link lift a brow at her. What was so funny? Before he could ask though, she explained the source of her amusement to him, "Then, it will keep you with me, so that if I need it, it's there."

The reason she'd grinned made him smirk somewhat, and he nodded his head. With a slight wave of his hand, he added, "Well, it's not like I plan on leaving again anyway. Now that I remember more about where I came from, so to speak, I'm going to stick around for a while. I told Nabooru I was ready to go find out more of my past anyway, before we left to bring the wine here I mean."

The comment made Mira genuinely grin at him happily. With a nod, she took in a deep breath and looked back over at the pond they were standing in front of. "Then I think we should catch up, don't you?"

"Yeah, I think so too." Link nodded his head and walked over to the edge of the pond with her, sitting down in the grass. Idly, he pulled some of it up to fiddle a bit between his fingertips as they both settled down and asked her, "Where should we start?"

"Well," Mira thought for a moment, "start with the Gerudo. What are they like?"

Link smirked a bit, staring at the strand of grass as he thought about it, then he told her, "Stern, strong, but they're caring of their own. It took me a while, but they started treating me like family even though they tend to distrust men. But Nabooru lost a son, so I guess some of them saw me as kind of like a replacement in so many ways."

"I see," Mira smiled, "Nabooru is like your mother then?"

"Not really," he told her, casting his blue eyes in her direction as he explained, "more like my captain. Everyone looks up to her, but it's not really a motherly relationship. I think it's out of respect to the son she lost that everyone considers her that way, to respect his memory."

"I see," Mira replied. "So, what else did you learn? Fighting and archery?"

He nodded, looking down at his hands, wearing the gauntlets, on his belt where he had a dagger in its sheath. "Yeah, they have a shooting range, and I've learned all kinds of things with them. Since I wasn't sure if I'd ever find out where I was from, I decided I should learn how to help them protect the Valley from intruders." Glancing back over at Mira once he'd told her about it, he asked, "What about you? What's happened here?"

"Well," she started, knowing there was a lot to tell, "we finished rebuilding about three years ago. The soldiers ruined a good bit of this place the night you fell. Alma was taken with the soldiers that night and we never heard from her again. But everything's going well now. Shamrock managed to escape imprisonment at the hands of the guards that evening and has opened a tavern with his name now. I went with him and a few others to live in Roshala for several years though after it happened. Nissa came to stay with me, you remember her don't you?"

"No," he narrowed his brows, "should I? I mean, I remember her coming to help us that night."

"Well, we'd caught her before that, in your hat. Do you remember that?"

Link looked at the fairy sitting on her shoulder, somewhat wide eyed. "That was you!?"

"Yep!," Nissa giggled out. "I stayed with Mira because she was very depressed once you were gone. I felt like I might have failed her in helping you both, so I wanted to keep helping and stick with her until she could get better."

Link glanced down, a frown on his face over the words. But he saw Mira placing her right hand on his left, and he looked at her face to see her shaking her head as her fingers wrapped around his larger hand. "Don't feel bad, Link, it wasn't your fault. I'm just so happy to see you again. I'm content to know you're actually okay."

"But you suffered a lot more than I did because you could remember everything." He sighed out a soft breath and pursed his lips to the side. "I feel like you've been caused a lot more grief than I have."

"No, we both suffered and lost things that night. Neither is greater or less. We both suffered the pains of not knowing the fate of our loved ones."

"I suppose so," Link told her after a moment of consideration, "but I guess I can't help but want for something different to have happened." He looked at her quietly in a sad but somehow cute fashion. Then he patted her arm to urge her on and told her, "Tell me about everything else. You said you lived with Shamrock in Roshala?"

"Well," Mira began, trying to figure out how to explain Impa to him. "Not precisely. I was approached by a woman named Impa not long after I went to stay in that Village. She was very kind and wise and she took me in. We lived in a home she built on a secluded roadside that led away from Roshala, but was still close enough to travel there if we needed anything. I saved my money and then came back here when I was fifteen to live, had my own little house built to stay in."

"I'd like to see it," he told her with a smile. "Especially if you managed to have it built for yourself."

"You will," she assured him, "I have a spare room too, one you can sleep in. Sometimes Impa stops by to see me as well. But besides that, I have a garden and," she grinned, "several chickens."

Link cringed over the words. Seeing the expression, Mira started snickering, saying, "You _still_ don't like them!"

"Only as a meal," he grinned, turning his face to look at hers, and their eyes caught for a moment. Seeing her smiling as happily as she was made him feel nice and warm inside, but there was a slight problem that he realized in that moment would make it hard to look at her for too long without just staring.

She was just too pretty.

But something caught her attention, and she seemed highly interested, reaching up somewhat quickly to his ear. "You have hoops in your ear now!"

"Oh yeah," he snorted in amusement. "I got the first when I turned fifteen, the other about four days ago now. Oh, is it red at all?"

"No," she shook her head, sitting back, "it looks fine, why? Was it irritated?"

"Yeah, Nabooru put some potion on it though. I guess it did the trick."

She nodded, hearing about the medicine, and just grinned at him. "It looks so nice, somehow it really suits you." Mira felt like she somehow couldn't stop smiling, turning to face him completely and take him in. Finally, she nodded her head and added, "I still can't get over how grown up you've gotten. It's funny, because I know I've done the same from your point of view."

"I was actually thinking about that a few moments ago," Link admitted. "You've changed a lot too, but you're somehow still you. It's a little strange. I always thought you'd be pretty, but you got prettier than I'd figured."

Over the words, Mira blushed somewhat deeply and she sat back, wringing the folds of her blue skirt in her hands, whispering, "Thank you. Everyone says that. It's kind of embarrassing though. I mean, there's a man in the Village named Hayden who proposed to me. I couldn't accept it though, not now anyway."

The news made Link turn his head to look at her in surprise. He finally asked, "You mean like, as in, a marriage?"

Mira nodded. Somehow, the news knocked Link for a loop, and he wasn't entirely sure why. It made him feel possessive somehow, and he supposed, especially now that he'd found her again, he just didn't want to give his closest friend up. That amused him slightly, the fact that he hadn't seen her in ten years and still considered her his closest friend, but on that end, it didn't feel like a single day had passed between them.

There was also another feeling there over the thought of her being proposed to as well that he wasn't too sure about. Somehow the thought of Mira with someone just didn't settle well, and he couldn't pinpoint why exactly. So instead of remarking on the confusing emotions, he just told her what he thought about the situation.

"Well, I guess I can see why you'd be hesitant. I mean that's a big step."

Mira nodded her head. "Yes, I was a little perturbed by it I suppose. Hayden's very nice, he's a miner in the caves to the north of here towards Death Mountain, and he works hard. But I don't like him in the sense that I would want to marry him. I'll have to marry some day, I know that, but I'm still young enough that I can wait a while. "

"I agree," Link responded, turning toward her a bit as he leaned back on an arm, "and to be honest, I don't even like the thought of you being married off. Not when I'm back and that would just take you away from me again."

Mira grinned at him. She couldn't help herself. With a slightly shrugged shoulder, she said, "We have plenty of time now. I'd still like to get married and have a family, but I'm not in a rush. So for now, I'm catching up with you," she patted his hand. "I wouldn't worry about my accepting any random marriage proposals any time soon."

Smiling over the comment, Link heard some shuffling in the bushes behind them, and he looked back to see who it was, watching as Nabooru emerged. "Hello Link, Mira. We just got finished delivering the supply to Shamrock. I told him about you, and he said he wants you to come by the tavern when you and Mira are done chatting, drinks on the house. He also said he would let everyone else in the village know. He also doubled our payment."

"He what?" Mira and Link asked the question at the same time. Looking at one another, Mira shrugged a little, "I know Desert Wine isn't cheap. Did he _really_ double it?" She asked Nabooru.

"Well, he tried, so I just took payment in a half when he insisted on doing _something_ special for us. I think Link's modesty has worn off on me." She grinned at them.

Mira smiled over the words and then she looked at Link with another thought in mind. "Well, don't be surprised if there's a big gathering at Shamrock's when we drop by. He's a chatter. No doubt all of Kakariko already knows you're here, if not all of Hyrule."

Nabooru chuckled over the comment, stepping in toward them, and as she did, she asked, "So, have you two caught up a good bit?"

"Yeah, we've done some catching up," Link told her. Mira watched him standing to speak with her. "I was also thinking about staying behind."

The words weren't lost on Mira, but she was distracted though. She'd looked down at her hands in order to straighten her skirts from having wrinkled them whenever she'd become a bit embarrassed and noticed a mark on the back of her left one. It was a symbol, three triangles settled together so that the top tips of the bottom two touched on each bottom tip of the top one, making another triangle at the center in the process. She couldn't help but stare at it as Link and Nabooru spoke about his staying in the village, and she glanced over at his own left hand. The gauntlet he wore however didn't allow her to see what she was looking for, which was a matching symbol to that of her own.

Taking in a soft breath, she turned and looked into the pouch on her belt, finding her pair of dark brown gloves and she slipped them on quickly before anyone could notice. Nissa noticed however and she asked, "Isn't that the...Triforce symbol?"

Thankfully she'd whispered the question and Mira shook her head, "Don't say anything yet. Just keep it a secret with me for now."

"Okay," Nissa replied.

Having heard some talk, Nabooru glanced over and asked, "Is everything alright, Mira?"

"Yes," Mira replied, standing up finally, "I was just a little cold, asking Nissa where I'd put my gloves. I wasn't sure if I had them or if they'd been left at home."

"I see," she smiled, "so what do you think?"

"About what?" She asked, walking over.

"About having a party tonight at Shamrock's in Link's honor."

"Oh!," Mira shook her head, "Silly me, I wasn't paying too much attention looking for my gloves. That sounds like a wonderful idea," she smiled.

Link grumbled slightly, and Nabooru snickered, "Well, it seems like you can't get a decent argument out of us."

Link rolled his eyes upwards with a smirk, saying, "I just haven't done anything to deserve a celebration."

"Of course you have," Mira told him, "you survived the fall and came back without wear. Everyone who remembers you will be happy for it."

Nabooru agreed with her, adding, "The Gerudo will stay for the night as well. That should give us a chance to rest up a bit before we leave. I'll bet Masita will cry when you're not with the caravan."

Despite Link's palm being planted against his face to rub his brows over the words, Mira just grinned at him. "Then it's settled. Tonight we'll celebrate, and your people can rest at the Inn here. Until then, maybe we should go get to know everyone again, Link."

Nabooru nodded, smiling at them both as she turned and went to let the Gerudo know what was going to go on that night. "I'll see you shortly, Link," she smiled, walking away from the pond. Once she was gone, Link, turned to Mira who sighed out a soft breath and then looked at him, smiling. "Well, are you ready to go?"

"I think so. This is gonna be a little strange."

"How's that?" Mira asked, taking his hand like she used to when she was a child and leading him off. The motion made Link smirk, wondering if she even realized she used to do that from time to time. He didn't mind it at all though and just went on with his explanation as he followed her out of the small grove of trees.

"Well, everyone's probably going to be all excited and hugging me. You know, making a fuss."

"Oh, I see. Well, I'm sure they won't be too bad about it." She snickered then, "What about Masita? Are you going to miss her too?"

Link grumbled, "Don't you start doing that too. I keep telling Nabooru we're just friends, even if she likes me, and Nabooru won't listen. Now she's got you cracking the jokes."

Mira started laughing softly, covering her hand with her mouth and giving him an apologetic look as she walked, then she remembered something and stopped. Link watched as she looked around and finally spotted her crate laying on the ground several yards away. So she started heading toward it.

"Sorry, I still need this," she explained, releasing his hand to lean down and pick it up. "It's what I use to make my deliveries twice a week."

"What do you deliver?"

"Things I grow, eggs, and sometimes I'm handed things from one house to take to the next," she replied. "All in a days work."

"Hey, maybe I can start helping," he suggested, reaching to take the crate so she wouldn't have to carry it herself. Mira tried to shake her head, but he wouldn't let her keep it, so she pursed her lips at him and rolled her eyes.

"Have it your way. But the help would be great," she grinned, turning with him to walk down the road, heading to her home beneath the canopy of yellow and orange leaves. As they went, Mira thought about the mark on the back of her left hand that had just showed up.

A slight knot worked its way into her stomach, one of worry and uncertainty. Suddenly, she really couldn't wait to see Impa again.

---

She had chickens.

Chickens, Link thought, unable to help himself from giving a distasteful look as the two had walked up to her cabin home. There was a coop of them built on the side of the house, most of them just settled down at the moment, unmoving. He hated them. Well, hate was a strong word, but he did happen to think the only use a chicken had was for a meal.

But besides that, the home was definitely nice. Quaint and cozy, located somewhat away from the village itself within the shelter of a few trees. A wind picked up and blew some leaves about, and he took it all in, considering how nice it was.

"What do you think?" She asked, anxious to know.

Link nodded his head, giving her a smile, "I think you did good. What kinds of things do you grow?"

"Oh, some vegetables, herbs and spices, a lot of rare things that are hard to find. The lady I lived with, Impa, taught me how to grow them."

Impa must have been some kind of wise woman, Link considered when she explained it to him. Before he could say anything about it though, Mira added, "I also make some potions to be sold, but only every now and again."

"Potions? Have you been studying magic?"

Mira nodded. "Yes, like I said, Impa is very wise. She's taught me a lot over the years. I hope you get to meet her soon."

Mira reached out for the crate Link had been carrying and took it from him. Turning, she walked over to the fenced in chicken coop and smirked as she set the crate down near it, then reached for a chick that was peeping near the edge of the fence, lifting the yellow baby bird up and petting it's head, holding it out to Link. "I know you hate chickens, but you have to admit she's cute."

Link pursed his lips, looking from the chicken to Mira's face, and he slowly took the baby into his hands. The baby bird just rested in his palm as if getting warm, and he said, "Alright, the babies are cute. But the rest of them are staring at me evilly and it's making me uneasy."

"They are not!," Mira grinned, looking at the grown chickens in the pen, minding their own business. "They're just keeping warm and resting, they're not even looking at you."

"Mira, I was stampeded when I was a kid. They don't like me," he insisted, seriously instead of playfully even though he was joking.

Mira couldn't help it. She'd started laughing, remembering all too well the day they heard Link yelling outside because a flock of chickens had decided he'd made a comfortable resting place, and she pointed at him, "_You're_ the one who was pulling on their feathers all the time."

Reaching out for the baby chicken he held, she took it from him and put it back into the coop near one of the feed bowls as Link scoffed and argued, "Only because I needed a feather to make an arrow."

Mira rolled her eyes, giving him a knowing look. He was giving her that noble grin that had it's underlying tones of mischief when she did, and it made her wave a dismissive hand at him. "Can't you admit when you're wrong?"

"Yeah, when I actually am wrong."

"You're just terrible," she shook her head, but more than anything, she felt like hugging him again just because she was so glad he'd come back. She wrenched her fingers together with the need to do so, and decided it might've been a better idea not to since he was probably going to be hugged enough that day by the people living in the village who actually remembered him.

With a smile, Link turned to leave the chicken coop, walking away from the side of the cabin where it was settled, and he looked the crops over she'd been growing. She apparently had a knack for it, the plants green and their fruits developing nicely. A scarecrow stood in the middle of the patch, and Mira let him look it all over, asking, "Do you know anything about farming or gardening?"

"No, not really. There wasn't too much that could grow in the desert, the Gerudo are mostly hunters, though the Valley did have its share of plant life. But you know, I think Alma would've been proud of you since she couldn't grow much of anything," he informed her, looking at her with a soft smile.

Nodding, the mention of Alma made Mira frown a little, and curiously, Link asked, "Did I say something wrong, Mira?"

"Well, not really. Just that remembering Alma and everything else makes me a little sad. I think I was the happiest when we were all together. I mean, Impa was very good to me, but I missed you too much to really enjoy it as much I guess."

As she stared off into space, telling him all of this, she felt his hand on her shoulder, which made her turn her head to look up at him. When she did, he pointed out, "You'll just have to make new memories then. Something else good. After all, I'm back now, so you don't have to be sad anymore thinking about the times back then."

"I know," she nodded, "I guess the grief takes a little getting over, that's all."

"Well," Link started, turning to face her completely, "tell me more about this woman you lived with. Who was she?"

Mira thought about Impa for a moment, and she could only wonder if she should tell him everything yet or not. After all, Impa had revealed several secrets to Mira, some which she'd yet to grasp as reality yet, and wasn't sure she ever could. Maybe someday, but it was still a ways away. Deciding she could probably tell Link some things about Impa and just leave the rest out for now, she parted her lips to speak when she heard someone calling her name.

"Mira! Where's Archer!?"

"Wait," Mira told Link when she heard the words being so desperately called and she moved to go meet the person running to the front of her cabin now, a young man whom looked fairly dirty, as if he might've worked in a mine. Once she reached the front of her home, she called his name to get his attention, and he diverted his direction from the front of her home since she was actually outside.

"Hayden, what's wrong? I haven't seen Archer all day."

Hayden took a deep breath as he came to a stop near her, trying to catch up his breathing from his long run, and Link had headed up behind Mira when he did. So this was Hayden? Link couldn't help but consider that for a moment, though he wasn't considering the story Mira had told him and only how urgent that man seemed to be. Since Haydin didn't know Link at all, he didn't have anything to say along the lines of surprise that the young man was alive and back, too urgent in his seeking of help to pay much attention anyway.

"His children, the twins Mylo and Itis," he breathed, "they're trapped in the mines. They must've wanted to ride on the trolley, I don't know what happened exactly. But they're caught beneath a rock slide. You should come with me. If the miners can free them, they may need some of your healing potion."

Mira had already reacted, moving to the front door of her house quickly in order to grab the green colored liquid she kept in one of her cabinets, and she headed back outside, calling to Link to come with them, but Link had already been heading to go himself. Hayden led them through town, to the caves at the northeast of the village, and as they approached the area, Mira could already see a group of people gathered outside being held off from going in by another miner standing near the entrance of the caves.

"Milton!" Hayden called out. Making his way through the crowds of people, the man looked back to them as they approached him, and once there, Hayden asked him, "Are they still down there?"

Milton nodded, looking tired, as if he'd been working hard to try to retrieve them, and he explained, "Yes and we've heard some strange sounds coming out of there too. It's hard to describe what we've heard though. But the last I know, they're still trying to clear out the rocks to get to them."

Link, hearing the words, didn't want to just stand by and do nothing when he heard about all of this, and spying the pick axe on Milton's belt, he grabbed it and turned to head inside of the cave. The movement made Mira gasp, "Link, wait!" She called, turning to follow him quickly. "I'm coming with you!"

"You could get hurt, Mira," he said, stopping only long enough to tell her that. "Stay out here until we get those kids out."

Mira shook her head, refusing him, "They might need some of that potion right away to give them a better chance of living if they're badly hurt."

Link looked her face over quietly, then noticed a few people in the crowd staring as if they were looking at a ghost, some faces he vaguely remembered, others he wasn't sure of. Mira paid them no mind however, and Link decided she was probably right, so he motioned his head and turned to run into the cave with Mira right behind him. Looking back, she called, "Hayden, keep trying to find Archer!"

With a nod, Hayden turned to run off again and try to find the father of the children. As he left, Milton waved his hands a bit and asked, "Wait, who _was_ that!? He stole my pick axe!"

Standing near by, an older man's voice came, "That's Link. He's back!"

Milton turned to face the grinning old man with narrowed brows, "Who?"


	10. Heroic Feats

_Chapter 9 - Heroic Feats_

Mira took a lantern hanging from the rock wall that the miners used for everyday work and carried it as she and Link headed into the mines. Nissa, who'd gone with them when Hayden had come running to the cabin Mira lived in, also helped to see a bit with her natural purple glow. Hearing the children had ridden on a trolley caused the both of them to think that following the tracks would more than likely lead them to the right area. As they got farther inside of the mine shaft, the darkness of the cave thwarted by the lantern Mira had grabbed, they eventually saw a soft light in the distance, and headed toward it to find three other miners standing around a rock slide.

"That's it, set it down carefully!"

Mira stepped up to the old man who'd just said that to the two younger men whom had just moved a rather large boulder and unblocked the rockslide nearly completely. There was a hole in the floor now, one which showed that the rock slide had apparently broken through the bottom of the cavern and down into another level of the mines, and she asked, "Did you just clear it out?"

Looking over at her, the older miner with bushy brows and a beard on his face, as well as having a fake wooden left leg, nodded his head, his voice a gruff one as he replied, "Yeah, just now, Mira. Where'd you come from?"

"Hayden came to get me while he was looking for Archer."

"It's a good thing, those kids could be hurt pretty badly. Did you bring any potion?"

Mira nodded in reply, and she and Link both looked down when one of the miner's got their attention. "Boss, it's another level of the mine shaft down there, I didn't even know there _was_ another level here. Oh, hey Mira."

"Hello, Rowe," Mira nodded in reply.

The older miner which everyone called Boss simply since it was easy to remember, especially with how he usually acted anyway, shook his head and walked forward, looking down, "These are old mines, Rowe, there could be all types of caverns about that we don't know of yet. But apparently, the rockslide broke through the floor. Sadly, I can't go down there, I might end up losing my leg." Clearing his throat, the man called out, "Mylo!? Itis!? You boys down there?"

No reply came back to him except that of his echoed voice. In hearing the echo, Mira said, "It must be a big cave. If they were alright from the fall, they might have wandered off to hide. Milton said you heard strange sounds. It could have scared them."

"We did," Rowe said as he stood up.

"Then they could've hidden." Link agreed, moving toward the hole. As he did, Rowe stared at him quietly, and so did his younger brother, Ranald, who was standing near by.

"You're...you're..."

"Yes, Rowe, this is Link. He might not remember you though."

Rowe knew it wasn't the right time, but he couldn't help himself, just staring away. "We thought you–"

Link put his hand on Rowe's and told Mira, "I think I remember him. Rowe and Ranald?" When he asked, the two young men nodded, and Link gave him a smile, "Don't worry, you'll find out how I got here later. Let's concentrate on getting those kids out first."

Rowe was still dumbfounded, but Ranald had a big grin on his face as if he couldn't be happier to see Link. Link couldn't help a very soft chuckle, deciding he'd think about the two brothers, one of which used to pick on him because of his ears all of the time, later, and for now he turned to climb down into the hole. When he did, Rowe grabbed him again.

"Hold on, Link. You don't know how steady it is."

Looking over at Rowe, Link replied, "Neither did Mylo and Itis, but they didn't have a choice over it."

Rowe sighed and let go of Link's arm slowly, watched as the young man took the pick axe and turned it in his hand at the ready incase he went sliding so that he could catch himself. "Mira," Link started, "wait here."

Mira folded her arms over her chest as Link worked his way down the rocky slope, asking, "Well, incase you forgot," she held up the lantern, "it's a little dark down there. Besides, Mylo and Itis don't know you. But they do know me."

Without arguing, she turned to Rowe and said, "Give me your pick axe please."

Link, staring back up, sighed out his breath as Rowe shook his head, telling her, "No, you give me your lantern and I'll go with him. This isn't a place for a, well, girl." He cleared his throat as if he didn't mean it insultingly but couldn't really say it any other way.

"Rowe," Mira said sternly, her tone fairly commanding in its own right. "The twins don't know you very well either. They come to have lunch at my home almost every day though. I'm going down there with Link, girl or not."

When she told him that, he looked contrite and took the pick axe off of his belt, then handed it to her somewhat slowly.

"Let her go down there, Rowe," came Boss's gruff voice. "We'll stay up here and make sure Archer doesn't go tearing down there getting himself killed trying to rescue his kids. After all, it'll take all of us to do so."

"That's true, he's a big guy after all," Rowe grumbled out.

Seeing that Mira was in fact coming with him, Link stayed right where he was on the narrow slope of rocks, and waited as she put the pick axe on the pouched belt she wore, then stepped down slowly, taking his outstretched hand. As she moved, Nissa flew downwards past Link, and she started checking out the slope while they began to work down it.

Turning, Link, pulled his axe from the rocks and slowly began to move, stumbling only once and catching himself. Mira went sliding when he did, Nissa calling out, "Be careful!," but with their hands in one another's, Mira didn't go too far. Finally, he stepped down onto a much more solid surface, and helped Mira down with him.

"That scared me," Nissa breathed out.

The miners above them could see how far the cave went down through the light of their torch, which was a good twenty feet, and looking back up, Link called, "Get some rope ready to help pull us back up just incase we need it."

"We're on it," Boss called back, "by the way, what's your name again?"

"Link," he called up.

"Alright, you and Mira be careful."

Giving the man a nod, Link turned and cast his gaze around the cave, the walls somehow seeming to sparkle with the promise of gems embedded in them, not to mention spying the toppled over trolley, which Nissa had shot over to when they spotted it. Both of them moved toward it quickly, and Mira let Link pull it up, wondering if the two boys might've been beneath it.

Grunting with his effort, Link pushed the metal vehicle over with a loud thud, but no one was under it. It was a relief even though their search went on to know that the children hadn't been crushed in the fall.

Pushing himself to his feet, Link looked over at Mira and asked, "How old are the twins?"

With a slightly sheepish glance, Mira replied, "Seven."

Sighing, Link looked ahead again and started moving, wondering why seven year olds seemed to be doomed around these parts, especially since these mines were located in the walls of Death Mountain where he'd fallen when he was the same age. Mira called both childrens names as he considered this, and Nissa flittered on ahead just a bit. Instead of replies from the kids, they heard a lowly made scrambling sound, and Link turned around, pulling his dagger from its sheath on his belt, holding it ready in his right hand, the pick axe in his left. Mira had turned around with him, but they didn't see anything even though the sound had seemed to come from behind them both.

"Well that was strange," Mira pointed out, slowly looking back in their original direction. "Let's keep going. If something's down here, and it wants to show itself, it will."

"I agree," Link replied, his voice somewhat soft. Continuing forward, they found themselves facing two different tunnels. "So, which way do we try first?" He asked.

Nissa zipped back and forth between the two entrances, and with a lowly made grumble, she said, "I don't like this. Both of them look creepy and it's all dark down here. Kinda scarey if you ask me."

"You don't have to stay, Nissa," Mira told her, "you can always fly back out."

"No, you might need me. Open your pouch. I'll stay in there for a while."

Smiling, Mira nodded and opened the pouch on her belt, letting the fairy slip inside of it. Once she had, and shut the cover again, she looked at Link and said, "Let's just go down the right path?"

"Sounds like a good choice to me," he replied, heading down that direction with her. As they walked, they heard the yell of a child from directly before them both. Mira gasped when the sound hit her ears, and she and Link both ran forward more quickly to try and find the child who'd just made the noise.

"Mylo!? Itis! Where are you!?"

"Mira!?"

The tunnel they were in came to a dead end, though there was a hole in the rock wall, and Mira saw a child putting his hands on the edge of the hole after the voice had called out her name. The child's voice went on, asking, "Are you in there!?"

"Itis," Mira said as she went over to him, reaching through the hole and taking his hand. "Are you hurt? Where's your brother?"

"I don't know, we got split up. Mira, I'm scared, something's in here with us. I think it got Mylo."

The little boy was crying, and Mira, though she couldn't see him through the hole, found his head and rubbed his hair gently, saying to him, "Don't worry, I have an old friend with me I want you to meet. So you sit tight right there, and we'll find another way around to you, okay?"

"Okay," she heard whimpered out, and she patted the little boy's head one more time before she pulled her arm back.

"Nissa's coming through to stay with you until we get there, alright?" As she spoke, the little fairy poked her head out of the pouch she'd dove into earlier and headed toward the hole in the wall.

Looking down, she said, "Hey Itis! When we get out of here, maybe we can go to the playground and swing for a little while."

Seeing that Nissa was with Itis now trying to calm him down, Mira turned to face Link. "I think we should have went left."

"Come on," he said in reply, turning to leave that particular tunnel with her and go down the opposite one instead. Once they reached the so-called fork in the road again, they headed into the left hole instead of the right one, and worked their way through it at a moderate pace. Mira continued holding the lantern high so they could both see, and after a few steps, she heard a crunch. Looking over at Link, he pulled his foot up and off of the floor to see a rather largely sized spider beneath his boot which he'd just crushed.

"Ew," Mira cringed, "um, Link, I'm kind of scared of spiders."

"Most girls are," Link smirked at her, "not scared now are you?"

Mira gave him a bland look, beginning to walk a little further down into the tunnel as she scolded him a little bit. "That's not funny. It _could_ have been a chicken you know."

"Don't joke like that. Chicken's _are_ evil. Spider's just want a meal."

"Uh huh," Mira drew out on a somewhat clipped tone, though she couldn't help but think it was indeed funny to tease him like that. A little sense of humor never hurt after all when they were in a place like this, especially as they come across a few bones, including skulls, which were laying in sporadic positions against the walls. Definitely warning signs that this place could cause them some terrible harm if they let it.

Another thing the two were unable to help but realize was that as they went, the tunnel was turning more and more into a mesh of webs covering the walls rather than rocky as a cavern should be. Mira clenched her fist over the signs of more spiders in the vicinity, then pulled out her pick axe for protection. Spiders, she thought to herself, shivering over the thought of them. How Link could hate chickens and then say spiders were only looking for a meal she just couldn't wrap her head around, glancing over at him to see that he still had the same stance as before, completely unafraid.

Men, she though with a roll of her eyes. She'd never met a single one who was even remotely afraid of a spider, or at least, who acted as such when attempting to squash it as she did usually.

While Mira considered this, Link had looked at the skeletons, wondering just how long they'd been down there. It would have taken several spiders to make the kind of web some of the bones were wrapped up in as well - or a really big one. Deciding not to let Mira on to that thought in particular, catching a glimpse of her from the corner of his eye holding her pick axe so tightly, he pushed forward quietly, ready for almost anything.

At the end of the tunnel, there were two different directions, a left and a right once again, and toward the right, Mira spotted Itis just down the corridor, Nissa glowing as she sat on his shoulder, the boy cowering in fear. Moving toward him, she leaned down and put her hand on his shoulder as Nissa flew into the air.

"Itis, it's me, come here."

Looking up, the child reached for Mira quickly, and hugged his arms around her neck. Link watched Mira lift the child from the web covered floor and stand up straight with him as he sniffled and hugged her tightly. Shushing him, telling him it was alright, she pulled her head back and asked him, "Where was the last place you saw Mylo?"

Itis reached his hand up and pointed in the direction his brother had been taken in. "It took him."

Giving a concerned glance to Link, Mira asked the boy, "What took him?"

"The monster."

Hearing the words, Link told Mira, "We don't have any time, let's go."

Nodding, Mira put Itis down and grabbed his hand, saying, "Stay right next to me, Itis. Don't wander anywhere no matter how scared you are."

"Yes ma'am," the child replied and he held onto her hand as she started walking off behind Link, heading in the direction that Itis said Mylo was in as Nissa flew toward Mira's shoulder and sat on it for safety. After all, the webs could have wrapped her up easily, and it was kind of hard to see.

Rounding a corner several yards up the web covered tunnel, more spiders settled in the web along the way which Mira desperately tried to ignore, Link and Mira both gasped when they saw what had become of the little boy. He was wrapped up in a web almost completely, unconscious, laying near what looked to be a pulsing sac, probably of spider eggs. Mira felt Itis grabbing her leg tighter, and Link looked over at her, saying, "I'll get him, wait here."

"Alright," she replied quietly, reaching down to pick Itis up from the ground as Nissa flew into Mira's pouch once more. Mira began watching as Link climbed onto the slightly sticky web hanging from the top of the cave, its strands connected to the walls in cross-like patterns, and reached for Mylo's foot. Grabbing it, he used his dagger to cut away the webbing as he tugged the little boy toward himself.

Mira was heavily worried about the child, holding the lantern up as high as she could so that the light would spread across the room better. Link finally managed to get the boy down from the tough webs when she noticed the flame inside of the lamp flickering a bit, saw a shadow moving, and she looked back behind herself. When she did, she saw a black streak as a large spider, bigger than she was, jumped down from the ceiling of the cave and right in front of her.

The movement startled her completely. Yelling, Mira stumbled back onto the floor, the jolt of the fall causing Nissa to leave her pouch, and the sound drew Link's attention.

The large arachnid's mandibles flexed as it neared Mira who was pushing herself backwards away from it as quickly as possible, and it reared back to lunge at her with a loud screech. As it did so, the front of its face met the blade of Link's dagger as he threw himself in front of Mira and Itis to protect them, green gook bleeding from the creature while it squealed over its new wound.

Jerking itself back, free of the dagger Link had just stabbed it with, it raised a front leg, moving to swipe at Link from the right, pushing him into a wall.

Hitting it with a grunt, Link pushing himself to the side just before a sharp appendage could stab him, causing it to penetrate the rock wall he'd been knocked against. The spider began to step back, trying to attack him again as he dodged low, calling out the words, "Mira, get Mylo out of the web!"

Mira had already worked her way to her feet by this time, and she turned to run to the unconscious twin still hanging from the white threads he'd been wrapped in. As she went, Itis asked, "Mira, is he going to be alright? His eyes are closed!"

"Yes," she said, pulling Mylo down to the floor, cradling him against her side as she started tearing the webbing from his body. As this happened, Nissa had lifted up a bit and watched Link battling the large spider whose movements were quickly, making it difficult for the seventeen year old to actually hit it with his weapon.

A gruesome sound caught their attention though, and Mira looked up to spy the egg sack bursting and the same types of baby spiders that Link had stepped on before began to emerge from it. She'd just finished getting Mylo free from the webbing he'd been wrapped in when this happened, and she stood up slowly while the eggs hatched.

Though baby spiders, they were still fairly large, as big as an adult's hand, and they looked troublesome themselves. Narrowing her brows, Mira closed her eyes and took a deep breath, lifting her head back. Once she had, she lifted her hand and then drew it back to her chest as a small red orb emerged from her palm. Concentrating, seeing life through the eyes of the light she'd created, the orb headed directly into the egg sack, disappearing. Mira's brow's flinched, and suddenly the sack burst into flames, setting the baby spiders on fire.

As it did, there were the sounds of shrills coming from the smaller arachnids, and Mira opened her eyes to see that the egg sack had been completely destroyed, the fire she'd started working it's way to the rest of the web, making it disintegrate from the walls.

Turning back as the web was being destroyed, only a slight bit of smoke filling the tunnel, she looked to see that Link was fending off the parent spider with his dagger. But as it's children were destroyed, it seemed to become distracted, letting an angry screech, its web burned away. Link took full advantage of his opportunity.

He moved to jump onto the creature's back. When he did, the large spider bucked to try to throw him, but he managed to slam his pick axe down into its torso and keep himself on it, flipping his dagger around in his opposite hand.

Once pointing down, Link turned his arm, and then slammed it into the top of the spider's skull, blade first. Mira couldn't help but smile seeing this, watching Link overcome the creature who'd tried to harm them, and she breathed a sigh of relief as finally it's limbs slowly stopped moving and its body came to rest.

Link didn't jerk his dagger out of the spider until it had stopped moving completely, finally pulling it free before he pushed himself up and hopped down from the creatures back. Looking over, he saw Mira kneeling down to Mylo on the floor of the cavern before she pulled a vial of green liquid from her pouch where Nissa had been hiding before. Twisting the cap off in her gloved hands, Mira lifted the boys head and gently dropped a good bit of the liquid into his mouth.

"Mylo!," Itis called once she finished, "Wake up, Mylo!"

The little boy didn't respond, but he did cringe a bit. With a soft breath, Mira said to Link, "He's been poisoned, so I'll have to get some antidote for him, but the potion will be good for him until I do."

Bending down next to them, Link asked her, "Is he alright besides that?"

"He doesn't seem to be hurt," she said in response, reaching for Itis as he went over to her. "Could you carry him for me?"

"Of course," Link replied, reaching for Mylo in order to lift him up. Both of them turned, wasting no time in leaving the cavern so they could get help for Mylo. Archer had found them, and Boss, Rowe, and Ranald had been having a hard time keeping the man put until they heard Link's voice calling to Boss.

Getting a rope down to them to pull both of the children up, Itis hanging onto Mylo tightly to keep him from falling back down again, Archer, the big man that he was, hugged both of his children while simultaneously taking them to Shamrock, whom had brought over a bit of antidote when he'd heard one of the children had been poisoned.

Helping Mira and finally Link up out of the cavern, Rowe grinned at them both and said, "You two better watch out. Archer's liable to break both of your backs hugging you for saving his kids."

Walking off, chuckling softly, Mira sighed in a deep breath. Glancing over at Link, seeing that he was handing the pick axe he'd taken from Milton back to the man, who'd thanked him for his help, she waited until he turned around before she spoke to him.

"That was fairly impressive, Link."

Link cringed a slight bit, shrugging a shoulder. "It was nothing really. You should see one of the Gerudo when they're angry. It's a lot worse."

Grinning over the words, Mira couldn't help her admiration of his strength and courage. He was far too humble as well, and she reached up to place her hand on his shoulder, saying, "Link, honestly. This was a huge feat. If you hadn't come back today, I don't know how we would have helped those children in time. That spider could have even hurt some of the adults trying to rescue them."

Somehow, the words made Link chuckle softly. "Kind of like Archer might end up hurting us?"

Mira smiled, an amused light in her violet blue eyes as she took in a deep breath. Link watched her, wondering if this meant the celebration they were planning on holding tonight was going to be doubled because of the little boys being saved, and he shook his head slowly over the thought. After a moment more though, he left the cave with Mira and went back to her cabin in order to get ready for it. On the way there, several people called out their thanks to the both of them, but especially to Link, many of them trying to ask if there actually was a large spider in a cave down there.

The questions got Mira to consider it. Where _had_ that spider come from? It wasn't natural, it seemed, or maybe it had been there for a long time now, growing and killing people to feed off of. Either way, it wasn't a pretty picture, and she was glad it had been taken care of instead of left there to harm someone else some day.

Link seemed to take his compliments all in stride, never conceited about it, or showing it off. He just told everyone it wasn't a big deal, and thanked them for the praise. Even Nissa commented to Mira about how humble he seemed to be about it.

"That's just because he's a good hearted person, Nissa. He's..."

"A hero?" Nissa supplied.

Nodding, Mira told her, "Yes, he's a hero." The words drew more of her previous thoughts she'd had earlier of the mark she'd found on her hand back to mind. It was all too coincidental. Did Link have one? She wished she could ask him to remove his left gauntlet without raising suspicion saying he didn't, but she knew that the time for now was to wait and see. Sighing out her breath, she watched her childhood friend turning from the small group of people he'd been talking with, including Shamrock, outside of her home as they started to leave, and head back up to where she stood on her front porch.

Standing there, leaning on the railing of the steps, he smiled up at her and asked, "The sun's going down pretty soon now. Are you ready to go? I think they'll skin us both if we're not there early."

"Skin us, break our backs, same thing," Mira chuckled, sweeping some of her bronzed golden hair over her shoulder and behind it. "Let me go change my shoes and tie my hair back. Then we can go."

Nodding as she turned to walk inside, Link looked back out at the road, Nissa moving to land next to him on the rail he was currently leaning on.

Seemed like it was time to have a huge celebration.


	11. Enlightenment

_Chapter 10 - Enlightenment_

"Get over here!"

While the people were all happy and dancing, drinking and talking, music playing, and colorful lights decorated the Village Square that the townsfolk had put up that day, Link and Mira were grabbed - simultaneously - in a large hug. Both of them tried to smile as Archer showed his immense appreciation to them, but the pain they felt made them cringe just a bit too much to do so. Just when the two of them thought they might pass out from lack of breath as Archer thanked them endlessly, he let them go, and they had to lean against each other and pretend to be perfectly fine while the man finished off his praise and then turned to walk away.

"That wasn't so bad," Link breathed out, his back against a post, Mira against his side.

"Speak for yourself," she muttered in response, "I can't feel my legs."

"Do we still have them?"

The literally excruciating thank you from the man, once recovered from, hadn't been the first of many, or the last. More came up, as well as reunions with people Link hadn't seen in ten years. Everyone seemed happy to not only have him around again, those that could remember him anyway, but also because he'd saved Mylo and Itis from the mine's, earning the respect of the ones he _didn't_ know. The twins had taken to mimicking him as well, telling everyone how they were going to be strong and brave just like him whenever they grew up.

Mira couldn't help her amusement over it. The festivities included a few drinks, some music being played, and games that Shamrock had set up to win prizes. Nissa was busy with a bowl of raspberries Shamrock set out for her since she'd definitely earned it, even if she and Mira hadn't won his guessing game, and to Mira he gave an entire chocolate pie, which she promised Link she'd split with him.

It was nice to see so many people enjoying themselves though. Even the Gerudo were getting along with the villagers, and all was going smoothly. Mira made a contented sigh, having sat at the table where Nissa was with her favored fruit, a cup of Honey Tea in her hands. She'd tied her hair back into a bun, but because it was getting to be a chilly night outside in the mid-autumn season, she'd wrapped a white shawl around her shoulders to help keep warm.

She was watching Link now, mingling with a few old friends, Sam, Rowe, and Ranald. Kids will be kids, she thought to herself, and grown up now, they were far from the annoying brats that she'd once told Link they were. But she was paying more attention to Link, and to what she knew of him.

He'd proven to her further that day that what Impa had said was true. The Sheikah woman had given her a good bit of information, and somehow, Mira had believed most of it, but the final blow was one that she wasn't completely sure of. According to the white haired woman, Mira wasn't, well, Mira. Instead, she was actually the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda, and she was chosen to carry one of the Triforces, that of Wisdom, from a young age.

Not only that, but there was another close to her, one that carried the Triforce of Courage. He was the fabled Hero of Legend, and Mira had her suspicions, that was, if Impa was right, that Link could very well have been the one. Of course, she'd thought Link to possibly be dead, and informing Impa of this, the Sheikah simply said she didn't think he really was.

But Impa's training had helped Mira to understand herself much better, the powers she possessed, and after ten years of being her ward, Mira was finally coming to realize completely that Impa had never once lied to her, or second guessed things. It scared Mira, tremendously. In fact, she wasn't sure what she should do now. Where it concerned herself, she was a bit less worried, but where it concerned Link, Mira had no clue what to tell him. Was he really the legendary Hero would bring balance back to the Kingdom of Hyrule, the only one who could wield the Master Sword?

Everything inside of Mira told her that he was, but somehow, she didn't want it to be true. She'd just gotten him back after ten years of unnecessary grief, and to tell him what she'd learned would just tear him away from her yet again, even if their destinies were intertwined, wouldn't it? Perhaps that was selfish, after all, the rest of Hyrule, if what she'd been told was true, needed him, needed her as well, but she just at least wanted to have this celebration with him, this night of return. Maybe that wouldn't be so selfish.

She glanced at her gloved hands and sighed out her breath. Tomorrow would be soon enough to tell him. She could take off these gloves then and reveal the truth of what she'd heard. Looking back up at the young man, Nissa having flown over near him now, she smiled when he glanced her way and nodded her head. Apparently Nissa had mentioned something to him however, because after she flew away from his ear, Link walked over to her.

"Enjoying yourself?" She asked once he drew near.

With a nod, Link looked back when the old man named Shamrock called to him and Mira both. "Hey Link! You two look so grown up now. I didn't really notice with just Mira, but with you coming back, I can really see the changes in you both. You guys are a handsome pair."

Mira tried not to blush, knowing Shamrock hadn't meant the word pair as if they were together romantically, but somehow she couldn't help it. Link was her childhood friend after all, and the comment drew a few thoughts into her mind that she'd never really considered about him before.

Until that evening anyway.

But before Mira could reply or even consider the thoughts, she found Link once more turning to face her, holding out his hand, "You wanna dance, Mira?"

"Is _that_ what Nissa told you just now?"

There was a sheepish grin on the young man's face. With a nod, he told her, "She said you looked a little lonely, and that all you do at party's is sit by yourself and think. I agreed, you did look a little lonely. So we should dance."

"I'm not too sure, Link," She replied with a blush on her cheeks. "I'm not sure I can."

"Come on, it would be fun." He urged her. "I don't know what I'm doing either, so if they laugh, it'll be at the both of us." Link took her hand now, pulling her up from her chair before leading her off into the thick of the party, and Mira bit her lip on the way there, cringing.

"That's what I'm afraid of," she admitted as they stopped and Link turned to face her. He couldn't help a laugh over her comment of getting laughed at, and he watched the people around them as they moved to the moderate pacing of the music, getting the feel of the rhythm, and he took one of her hands, holding it up. Then, with the other hand being placed around her back, he pulled her closer before he started moving along with her in the same way that everyone else was.

Mira felt like there might've been a permanent blush on her cheeks, but she tried her best to keep up with him, and after just a few moments of working out their movements, they seemed to flow together nicely. The swings and turns from the lively, fun music made both of their heads swim a bit enjoyably, and Mira couldn't help her loud laugh.

"See, we're getting there," she heard Link telling her as her eyes had squeezed shut through the grin on her face.

"Getting where exactly!?"

"I don't know, but the ride's fun," he replied with a carefree attitude, swinging Mira around with another laugh in a move that made some of the people just watching cheer for them both.

From the distance, in the shadows, a pair of reddish brown eyes veiled by white brows watched the two. A smirk lit the woman's lips, and she nodded her head slowly, pulling a long stemmed pipe from her mouth.

"The Hero has returned. Finally." Impa's smirk turned into a smile as she watched him dancing with his childhood friend, the children reunited after ten years of separation between them, and something of a feeling of hope struck through her. As Shamrock had said, they did make quite a handsome pair, and knowing this, Impa felt even better for the future. Not just the future of Hyrule, but for that of the two young people she watched now.

Despite the fact that they'd grown up together as siblings, the truth of the matter was that they were far from related. For this reason, and their history which led them to such a dramatic reunion now, their being such strong childhood friends to the point that Mira would give him the one token she had from her parents, Impa believed that somehow, they would develop feelings for one another over time, much stronger than that of just friendship.

Impa hoped this would be the case. It would take a good bit of purity to bring down the evil's brewing in Hyrule's Palace now, and they would need all of the help they could get. The two needed tonight alone together, getting to know one another again, romantic or not, without anything more to worry about than if they were dancing right. This would be their beginning. Link had proven his mettle to the people of the town when the twins had become trapped in the mines. Now Mira needed a push in the right direction to get the fires going. She was the catalyst. But for the time being, their reunion was more important than anything.

Without it, Link wouldn't burn through the evil tyranny set over the land like a hungry wildfire. Heroic and courageous as he may be, one always fought with more passion if they had something to fight for.

A few hours passed before the lights in the village started dwindling away, the music playing down softly. Mira opened the door to the home she lived in and went to the counter of her kitchen area to set the things down that she'd been carrying while waiting for Link to show up. He'd promised to help get a mess cleaned up for Shamrock, so he was a bit delayed.

Taking a candle from the kitchen table, Mira lifted her hand and rolled her palm over the wick. As she did so, a light lit, and when her hand moved away, the wick was flickering softly in the dark home. Mira moved up the steps quietly, tugging her shawl from her shoulders, and opened the door to her room, turning to shut it once she was inside, and then she went to settle her candle of her dresser along with her shawl before she turned and gasped loudly, putting her hand over her heart.

"You have the mark now, don't you?"

"Impa!," Mira exclaimed, "You startled me!" She took a deep breath to calm herself down from the slight scare as she'd so unexpectedly seen the visage of the woman dressed in dark blues and blacks standing before her now.

"I'm sorry," Impa smiled, walking toward the young woman, giving her a gentle hug.

Returning it, Mira replied to her question finally, "I do." Reaching down for her gloves after parting from their hug, she took them off and lifted her left hand. Surely enough, the golden mark of the Triforce was there, and Impa cast her eyes back to Mira's face after she'd looked the symbol over with a nod. Mira then lowered her hand again, casting her eyes downward and away from the Sheikah, greatly mixed feelings apparent on her pretty face.

"I seem to have gotten it when Link arrived again, yes."

Listening, Impa told her, "It's because he has the same mark. Once together, the two pieces of the triforce you both possess will react to one another. As would Ganondorf's were he near you, which is why you have to be extra wary. They're telling signs of your identities"

"I know, Impa, I know. So it means that I'm the," she took in a breath and looked to the side, not completely sure she wanted to admit it aloud just yet.

"Princess of Destiny." Impa supplied the words calmly and sagely. "Yes, Mira. You are the one taken from the King and Queen when you were only a baby, switched so that Ganondorf could be raised as the Prince. Though your name was changed to protect your identity, you are still the Princess Zelda, rightful heir to the throne of Hyrule."

Mira could feel tears brimming in her eyes. She'd always wanted to know more about her past and where she'd come from, but this just seemed to be too much. A Princess? The Princess of Hyrule? Her eyes closed and she balled up her fists. Impa had told her all of this before, and she'd refused to believe it until she'd seen the proof with her own two eyes. But now she couldn't deny it, and it was overwhelming her.

"Don't be scared, Mira," Impa spoke, "this is the very reason I've come to you, taught you over the years. You can handle this whether you know it or not. Somewhere, inside you, there's a need to handle this. You'll feel it soon now, you're just too overflowing with emotion to notice."

Mira's eyes opened and she looked up at Impa. She knew the woman was completely right, and she couldn't argue. But she did want to know something. "So what should I do, then? Where should I start? No one knows this, and they won't believe me if I just tell them. How can I take back the throne?"

"That, my friend, is actually much easier said than done. Just lead Link to the Temple."

"The Temple?"

"Yes, the Temple of Time, the gateway to the Lost Woods, where the Master Sword sleeps peacefully. Equip Link to set this Kingdom back on the right track, and guide him, as he will guide you to your own destiny. Neither of you are alone in this. You were sent from the Palace together, and together you will overcome your obstacles."

Mira wiped her eyes, a few tears having escaped them, but she nodded nonetheless. Seeing her sadness, Impa stepped forward and hugged the young woman again, this time comfortingly. She seemed to understand how much this was for Mira to take in, that it wouldn't settle all at once. Mira hadn't been raised in a manner that completely befitted a princess, but she'd come to be very kind, as well as wise beyond her years in matters. So now, all she needed to know was that she would be fine, and that she was not alone.

"Everything will work out fine, you'll see. Go to the Temple with Link. But be ware, there has been a curse placed on it. Things my be a bit difficult for you. Still, the time is now, and you can handle it. Trust me."

"I do trust you," Mira told her, "and I'm glad to have you as a mentor. You've been very kind to me. But what should I tell Link?"

"You should allow him to discover a little more on his own, as I allowed you to. Remember when I first mentioned the story to you? I told you a tale, but I didn't tell you what your true past was. You needed to learn for yourself, and so does he, otherwise it will be harder for him to accept. Also, tell no one else of your true identities. Secrecy has worked for you all of your life, and it will continue to for a while longer now."

Listening to her, Mira gave a slow nod of understanding, wrapping her arms around herself as she thought it all over. Impa waited for a response from her, didn't push for it, and finally, Mira asked, "Did you know my parents?"

Quietly, Impa gave her a nod.

"Did they," she sucked in a shaky breath to prevent herself from crying again, casting her glistening eyes up at Impa, "love me?"

"Very much," she nodded,

"What about Link's parents? Did you know them?"

With a soft sigh, Impa responded quietly, "I only knew them when he was separated from them. I was handed a basket carrying two infants one evening and was instructed to keep them both safe and cared for. I only knew them after I had completed my task."

Mira nodded slowly as she listened, having had the feeling that Impa may have been involved in her and Link's disappearance from the eyes of evil. But hearing that she knew about Link's parents, she asked one last question, "You'll tell us of them sometime, won't you?"

Impa didn't reply to those words verbally, only nodding her head to the hopeful look in the young lady's tear ridden eyes, when there was a knock on the door.

"Mira? Are you in there?"

Mira turned around and then reached for her candlestick once again, taking it from the dresser as she replied, "Yes, I'm here." Looking back to Impa after she spoke the words, she was going to ask the woman if she should leave when Mira stopped herself. Impa was already gone. Sighing out her breath, Mira just smiled, and then went to the door to open it.

Standing there, Link lifted a brow, asking, "Was someone here?"

"Why? Did you hear something?"

"I thought I heard someone talking. Are you alright?" He asked that question when he saw the tears on her face, stepping into the room. Reaching up without thought, he began to wipe the wetness away with his thumbs.

Mira stared up at him as he did so, and she nodded slowly, her eyes catching his after he finished wiping her tears away. A silent moment passed between them, one in which Mira's throat went dry, and she cleared it before turning her head, not wanting to blush over the way they'd looked at one another. At the same time, she realized Link had taken a step back, and in doing so, she glanced at him again to see him rubbing the top of his head as he leaned his arm against the wall, perhaps a bit embarrassed as she had been.

Unsure what had just happened, she also wasn't completely sure she entirely disliked it. But there were more pressing matters at hand than trying to figure out the source of her embarrassment, as well as his, not to mention that bringing it up would kill off the awkwardness the two had just experienced. So she decided to mention to him what Impa had told her.

"Link," she started, "tomorrow, I want to take you to the Temple of Time."

Lifting a single brow over the subject change, Link asked, "Why is that?"

"Well, after what happened in the mine's today, I considered there could actually be a curse on the Temple like I've heard. If so, it would explain more about the spider we found, and it could prove there's more going on than meets the eye. If we can gain more knowledge of it, we can help save more lives before the curse spreads too far."

"What curse?"

She'd caught his complete attention, and folding her arms over her lower stomach, holding them as if she might've been carrying herself in thought, she explained. "Impa informed me of several things revolving around the Palace of Hyrule and the royal family. If she's right, then there's a curse spreading throughout these lands, and no one will be safe unless it can be stopped."

She turned her face to him, her eyes still glistening from her tears, adding on a soft voice, "With you here, I feel safer going to find out, especially," she smiled just a little, "after what I saw in the mine's down there. We shouldn't have too much trouble. Or then again, we might. But that's why I want you to come with me."

After telling him all of this, he looked her face over, her eyes hopeful, that look she used to give him when they were children that, now that he could remember it, he knew he'd never forget. "Temple of Time, huh?" He asked as he thought about it, then he smirked and decided to tell her, "You're giving me that look again."

"What look is that?"

"That look I can't ever deny, the one where I can tell you're hoping for something." Shaking his head, clearing his throat, he finally conceded to her request. "Alright, if it means that much to you. Tomorrow we'll go to the Temple of Time. But mostly because I get the feeling with as headstrong as you are, you'll run off to go on your own and get into more trouble than you would if I accompanied you."

As mixed as her feelings were about it, Mira smiled brightly, knowing how dependable Link was from their days as children together, and she somehow felt bad for counting on that aspect of his persona, but if Impa was right, then this had to be done. So she stepped in and gave him a hug. The hug seemed a bit more sorrowful than anything however, due to her feelings over the matter, and Link couldn't help but become concerned.

"Hey, are you sure you're alright? You seem awfully sad. Why were you crying anyway?"

"I'm just so happy to have you back, and I don't want to ruin it. Maybe I just missed Alma tonight with you back."

"How could you ruin it?" He asked, allowing her to step back, looking her face over. He could understand her feelings about Alma as well, after all, he'd noticed her presence missing himself that night as they'd talked with others.

Shaking her head, Mira told him, "I don't know, maybe I'm just tired. We should head to bed. It's late after all, and the Temple's a good ride away from here. We'll need our rest."

Link nodded at her, but didn't say anything except, "Alright, then good night, Mira. Sweet dreams."

"Good night, Link," she replied softly. With those words, he smiled at her and turned to leave the room, heading across the hallway to the one that she had prepared for him earlier that evening. Thinking about being back where he'd come from finally, Link smiled and shut the door. Once he was in his room he pulled his hair out of the ponytail at the nape of his neck and leaned against the door. Now that he was alone, he had time to reflect on the happenings of the day. He wondered what he would have thought if, when he'd awoken that morning, he knew he was going to be blessed with his former memories once again.

Who knew, he considered, tossing the band he used for his hair onto the dresser before removing his vest and tunic, then his gauntlets. In the dim darkness of the room, a symbol was apparent on the back of his left hand, but it was one he never noticed because of the darkness as he climbed into bed. At least, not until the light of the morning.


	12. Paths United

_Chapter 11 - Paths United_

"We can't give him _that_ horse! She's too temperamental. She'll throw them before they even get out of the village!"

Shamrock was arguing with the stable master, Tallor. As he said this, Link walked into the stables, and he perked a brow. Shamrock didn't sound too completely happy, and Link wasn't sure if he'd come in at a bad time or not.

"Hey guys, should I come back later?"

Turning around, Shamrock faced him and Tallor looked over at him. Their tempers seemed to die down, and Shamrock smiled, "Good morning, Link, no, no, come on in. We were just discussing you actually."

Link stepped further inside of the stables with the words and he approached the two men. "Alright. I came by because Mira said you told her that you had something for me here. She said to come out while she was putting a few things together for our ride."

"Well, Tallor and I decided we want to give you a horse."

Link looked at Tallor and then at Shamrock, the middle aged man nodding his head and grinning about it. Cringing a bit, Link told them both, "You guys don't have to do that. I was actually going to buy one anyway. Mira needs one to help with her deliveries growing for when we get back."

"No, it's fine, really." Shamrock assured him as he stepped over, placing a hand on his shoulders. "I know the Gerudo left this morning, and you don't have anything for yourself really. With what you've done for Archer's twins, it's a way of saying thank you from the entire village. After all," he chuckled, "Archer said we all needed to give you a magnificent gift, and I saw him hugging the two of you last night. I'm afraid for my frail body if I don't," he grinned.

Link and Tallor both chuckled softly, over the words. The Hylian nodded in response, knowing what Shamrock meant. Archer was no weak man. "Good point, Shamrock."

"Right." Tallor chimed in, "So we wanted to give you something to have that's all your own, get you started off on the right track."

Shamrock sighed over the words, and Link looked in his direction, brows raising somewhat at the agitation the old man seemed to be having. "He wants to give you Epona though. She's a temperamental beast and she'll throw ya the minute you try to ride her."

"Epona is a strong, sturdy horse, and she's beautiful as well," Tallor argued.

"She's not fit for a rider, much less for Link!"

"She's perfectly fine!"

Link held up his hands to stop the two men from their arguing, stepping between them, and he said, "Hold on, guys! It's okay, just show me the horse. Who knows, maybe she'll like me. I mean, if you really want to give a horse like that up."

"That's _why_ he's giving her to you. He can't do anything else with her!"

Tallor sighed loudly, grumbling on his breath. Turning around, he said, "Shamrock, go back to your tavern. Link, she's this way. Follow me."

Link smiled, unable to help it because of the two men's arguing, then reached up and patted Shamrock's shoulder. The old man shook his head and added, "I still say he's just trying to rid himself a nasty horse."

Link smirked and walked outside with the two men, into the fenced in arena where the horses were allowed to run and be ridden. He looked over the field in the early morning, most of the horses grazing, several of them large animals, some grey with white splotches, others black, and a white or two. Tallor stepped before the men and he pointed, "That's her, in the back, heading this way."

Taking a look, Link saw a tan brown horse emerging from behind some of the others with black fur covering the ends of her legs, along with a white mane of hair. She really was a beautiful horse, and she slowed to a stop, lowering her head to the ground as if to feed amidst the rest of her equestrian companions.

Link looked a bit incredulous. With the way they'd talked, he figured she might've been a common breed, but she really was more than he'd expected, at least to look at and watch anyway. Glancing back, Tallor smiled proudly, and he waved his hand, "Go check her out."

With a nod, Link moved past the two men, heading toward the grazing horse somewhat slowly, lifting a hand up as he did so as to not spook her if he could help it. Epona turned it for a moment as she grazed, then back, lifting her head up from the ground as Link approached her and she saw him. Shamrock and Tallor both watched intently. As they did, they spied Epona shaking her head, and then stepping forward, heading toward Link slowly until her muzzle met his hand. Link became still and Epona seemed somewhat wary. Shamrock looked at Tallor, then back to the scene, wanting to know if the ill tempered beast would let Link on her back or not.

She'd been saddled already, Tallor had taken care of that before Link came along, and the young Hylian could tell from the sign there that apparently the horse was used to one, so she'd been ridden before. She was probably just very picky about who she let ride her now for some strange reason. While she sniffed at his hand now, Link finally lifted it and rubbed his fingers along the front of her head. In doing so, the horse whinnied a slight bit, and Shamrock covered his mouth dramatically. Tallor rolled his eyes at the old man's theatrics.

Finally, Epona stepped forward, stopping next to Link, and the young Hylian smirked, rubbing his hand down her back and up again. Glancing toward the two men watching, he said, "She seems pretty even tempered to me."

Tallor grinned and Shamrock sighed. "Wait til you mount her." The tavern owner muttered out blandly.

Smirking, Link grabbed the reigns and then started walking her slowly. As he came back to the two men, he told Shamrock, "Maybe I will shortly. For now, I just want to spend a little time with her. Was she born on this ranch?" He turned to ask Tallor.

"No, she came from a mess of horses gathered from a village that burned to the ground about a month ago. There were five horses left, and she was cut up just a little, but in good shape. She'd completely healed from all of that now though."

"Hmm, no wonder she's a bit temperamental then," Link suggested, "she's probably seen too much. I'll keep that in mind."

"You're not going to ride her yet?" Shamrock asked.

Knowing the man was eager to find out how fit the horse was, Link just gave him a kind smile. "Give me a little while. I'll let you know." With those words, he turned with the horse and walked her away from the men. "Gerudo were good at training horses," he added, "I think I can manage her."

As Link began to walk off, Tallor looked at Shamrock and said, "See, I told you she'd be a good horse for him. If he can get her ridden with no trouble, then he deserves to have her."

"Yeah, yeah," Shamrock grumbled out, shrugging a bit. "I'm glad, really. I just don't want the kid getting hurt. Not after what happened before."

With a nod, Tallor told Shamrock, "He's a tough kid apparently. Surviving a fall on a cliff of a mountain called Death is a major feat in itself. I doubt he'll get hurt too badly if at all."

And Tallor was right. Link was riding the horse within an hour, without being thrown or even any troubles directing her. Shamrock commended him, and Link thanked Tallor for the huge gift, very grateful to have it. As he rode her a little to try to bond, Mira came to the stables and walked out into the horse arena, looking over to see Tallor with one of his mares, leading her inside to be fed and bathed.

"Hello, Mira," Tallor greeted as he passed her with a smile. "Did you come for Link?"

"Yes, is he still here?"

Nodding, Tallor pointed off into the distance. "He's been getting to know Epona, his new horse. They've gotten along really well."

"You gave him Epona?" She asked a bit disbelievingly, putting her hand over her eyes to shield the morning sun as she looked off into the distance. "I thought no one could ride her."

"Link can. Pretty well too. Those Gerudo must be horse masters."

Mira could see Link off in the distance, and Tallor turned to let a shrill whistle. Hearing the sound, Link looked up, seeing Mira waving her hand to flag him down. He grinned at the sight of it. Turning the reigns, Link took off into a mild gallop, and Mira watched as he rode, wondering how he seemed to fit so well on the horses back. Tallor left to go inside with his mare, and as Link arrived, Mira just smiled up at him.

"This is a," she tried to think of the right word, "_tremendous_ gift."

"I know, but apparently no one else could ride her."

"Yes, I know. She came here about a month ago. I'm really surprised," she nodded, looking up at his face, "and impressed yet again."

"Nah," Link drew his hand to the side, "it's nothing really. So, are we ready to go?"

"If," Mira started, looking at Epona somewhat uncertainly, "you are."

"I am," he told her, dismounting. "And we won't have to worry about rupees too much since I didn't have to buy one. Nabooru gave me enough to purchase one before she left. So if we have to stop somewhere on the way to the Temple, we should be able to get what we need."

Mira nodded, smiling the whole time. Turning, she held her hand out and asked, "Shall we?"

"We shall," he smirked back at her, walking through the stables and out of the arena with Epona trotting behind them, seeming as content as could be to go with them both. On the way out, they said goodbye to Tallor, who just grinned as well as telling them he hoped they enjoyed Epona.

On the way out of the stable, Mira, who'd tied her hair back into a long braid, and was wearing a lavender colored dress with a corset tied around the bodice, heard Link asking, "Where to? Stopping by the cabin before we leave?"

"Yes, I packed a satchel. We can put it on Epona's saddle." She looked over at him to see him nod in understanding, and she asked, "Did you get to say goodbye to the Gerudo?"

Smirking, Link told her, "Yeah, Nabooru almost cried again. She keeps picking about how Masita's going to miss me, but I think she'll miss me more than Masita will. Nabooru likes to hide her emotions behind her jokes like that."

Link saw Mira smiling over the comment, and he thought about it for a moment. The Gerudo had all seemed sad, but they also seemed happy for him as well. He had also reassured them all that it wouldn't be the last time they saw him, he would come back often whenever he could, and they promised to keep a room ready for him incase he did.

There'd been another event that had happened that morning, one which Link had yet to tell anyone because he wasn't sure about the meaning of it. As they reached Mira's cabin, and he stopped outside to wait for her while she went to grab her things, he looked down at his left hand. Wearing his leather gauntlets, he wondered what the symbol on the back of his wrist could have been about. It looked like the symbol of the triforce, but why it was there, he had no clue. It had never been there before, so he couldn't explain it away.

For the time being, he decided that he would keep it a secret until they'd visited the Temple of Time, then he could let the so-called cat out of the bag. Mira walked back out of her home with the satchel in hand, and he helped her to tie it to the back of Epona while she told Nissa to help watch over the place while she was gone. Nissa had promised she'd do a good job, giving the both of them a kiss on the cheek and the promise of missing them while they were away before they left.

Walking instead of riding to the entrance of the village, Link glanced over at Mira and watched her for a moment. He wondered what she could have been thinking about, but she seemed to be ready to go, if not a little bit anxious, probably wondering what the trip would entail for them both. Deciding he wanted her to talk to him, he asked her something to get a conversation started.

"What are the rumors about this Temple you've heard?"

Mira looked up and over at Link, lifting her brows a bit as if she hadn't expected the question. "Oh, just that it's cursed somehow. That's really all I know about the rumors."

Link nodded his head as they came to the road just outside of the village waiting for them, and he stopped in his gait and turned, moving over to Mira. She looked up at him as he took her hand, apparently ready to mount the horse.

A slight bit uncertain, she hesitated, asking, "What if she throws me without you on her?"

Link just smiled at her, "Then I'll catch you. Don't worry, she's safe."

"Okay, I trust you," Mira replied as if trying to convince herself, all the while giving him a humorously suspicious look while taking the reigns and hooking her foot into the stirrup. With Link's help, she mounted the horse, settling there without any negative reactions. Link climbed up behind her just a moment later, reaching around her sides to grasp the reigns.

As he did so, Mira realized those same awkward feelings from the night before when their gazes had caught were now coming back. But she wasn't looking directly at him, so, hoping he wasn't feeling the same way, she just sat patiently and pretended she were simply waiting for him to goad Epona off into a trot.

Why did it have to feel so nice to be settled against him like that?

Trying to get her mind off of it, she asked, "What did you do to make her so calm?"

"It's a secret," she heard him say, lightly tapping his heels into the horses sides to make her start to trot. "Tallor said that she was in a burning village, so I just tried to ease onto her, that's all."

Nodding her head, Link watched Mira lowering her arms again to grab the pommel of the saddle they were settled on, and he could only wonder over his luck. Those awkward feelings had returned, and he wasn't sure what to say, but she'd asked how he'd calmed the horse down, breaking him out of his stupor, and preventing him from looking like an idiot by just sitting there staring at her. After all, he wouldn't have had an easy answer ready for any questions she might've asked over a delay in movement.

Riding along now, Mira looked back at the village as they left it, and she sighed out her breath softly. It was nice to ride like this - that was, for reasons aside being settled in his lap - but the only memories she had of leaving the village she'd grown up in were all bad ones. Looking ahead again, to the road before her, she just hoped her luck changed now.

"Is everything okay?" She heard from behind her. "You looked a little sad."

"Mmm hmm," Mira drew out softly, "I was just considering everything, wondering what we might find on this ride."

"Well, we have to get there to know for sure," Link told her, "I think we'll have fun no matter what we find out."

Without expecting it, Mira smiled. She'd almost forgotten about his ability to make her feel better where few others could. With a slight shake of her head, she told him so, "You always manage to make me feel more optimistic about things. Did you know that?"

"Nope. But that's good, it's what I wanna do."

"Well, then you've succeeded, sir. The lady in distress thanks you."

Her tone was definitely a playful one. His soft chuckle filled her ears as they made it out onto the sunny fields, the roads leading away from the village tracked by wagon wheels, no one in sight. Moving right along, Link asked, "You know another way to make yourself feel better?"

"How is that, Link?"

"By finding out exactly what your new horse can do," he grinned, then snapped the reigns. Mira softly gasped as Epona reared up just a bit, and for the slightest of moments, she thought the horse might throw them. But instead, Epona pushed off into a gallop, the wind whipping by the both of them. It felt freeing and invigorating, even though it was a chilly autumn morning, and Link was right, Mira completely loved it.

Somehow, she knew she needed to trust him a little more.

But moving through the fields now, Mira could see the world through new eyes somehow. After recent revelations over her true self, the person she'd been born as unknowingly, there was something different when it came to gazing at the land around her now. Something a bit more dire, as if she knew the fate rested in her hands, and Link's if the prophecy was true. Not to mention, there was a pride there in knowing what this Kingdom _could_ be when restored, and she suddenly, as Impa had suggested she would, felt the need to be that person in order to see to it that it happened.

Now, the dark, gloomy cloud that resided over the northwestern skies of the kingdom, where the palace of Hyrule was located, seemed all that much more hideous to her, like a dark mar on a glass goblet that had just been shined.

She wanted to be rid of it completely.

The riders rode at a gallop for a short while, but not too long to tire out the horse, just long enough to get good and started. Continuing on as Epona came back down to a trot, Link had noticed his new horse was definitely a strong, sturdy one, and she didn't seem to mind at all carrying the both of them. Though, just to be safe, he suggested walking instead of riding her as well, climbing down from her back to let Epona simply ride Mira. Mira had argued at first, but Link told her it would be good for her, so if Mira had to ride the horse on her own, Epona would be used to her too. Mira just couldn't argue with that, but she gave him a look that said she didn't appreciate losing a fight, even though it hadn't really been one.

Walking now, Link had noticed two or three in different spots, but there seemed to be a few white stones with smoothed over surfaces here and there. They weren't located on the roadsides exactly, but rather, settled in raised stone alters nearby them, and it wasn't the first time he'd seen one. Thinking back, there was one in the Gerudo Valley, located at the entrance of the Spirit Temple where the Gerudo gave their worship. He could have sworn he'd seen one somewhere else too, but he just couldn't think of the place.

"Mira, have you ever heard what those pedestals with the white stones on them are called?"

Looking out into one of the fields as Link asked the question, she noticed one of the structures he was speaking of now, and she glanced down at him. "Impa told me that not many do. There's on in Kakariko, just before you reach the Valley Pass."

Link considered that, thinking to the Pass, and he remembered seeing it but paying no mind to it on the night they'd left the village and he'd taken the fall. "I remember that. Did she say what they're called?"

"Yes, they're Myriad Stones."

Myriad Stones? Link looked back up at Mira from where he walked and asked, "Does she know what they do?"

"Hmm," Mira thought, trying to recall. "Well, she said that a long time ago, there was a powerful Sage named Myriad who placed these stones throughout the kingdom to thwart evil. Apparently, the Sage went into some kind of slumber though, so whatever these stones do, they don't work anymore, at least, not until she awakens again."

Link's brows raised over the description, looking back to the pedestal he'd spotted before, nodding his head slowly. "When is she supposed to awaken?"

"Impa never said anything about it, so your guess is as good as mine."

"Typical. Whenever you want to know something important, there's never a direct answer."

Mira smiled over the words, reaching up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. It was then that Link looked up and ahead of himself. Like Mira, the direction they were facing, northwest, allowed them to see the gloomy clouds in the distance, but due to the mountains, they couldn't see to the other side. Parting his lips, he commented on it, "I've always wondered why the sky looks so stormy in the distance too."

Mira had been staring in the same direction. She glanced down at her close friend and then away from him. "Impa said it's the curse. She also told me the stronger it grows, the bigger the cloud will get, until it's consumed all of Hyrule."

"Impa seems to know a lot. She must've been around."

"Well, that just means you're lucky," Mira smiled.

Looking back at the young woman, Link asked her, "How's that?"

"Because it means I'm well versed," she informed him with a nod.

She watched Link shake his head at her, which made her smile grow bigger. The lighthearted talk was exactly what she needed, having grown a bit more tense as time went on, knowing what they could possibly be drawing near to. They continued on like that until a short while had passed. Both of them took a break, resting Epona, and themselves as they had to, galloping sometimes, and traveling at just a casual pace during others. The ride would take most of the day, and they discussed stories during times when they'd been apart while they weren't riding too hard to talk much.

Eventually, Mira had nodded off without meaning to while they were trotting along. Link watched her fall asleep, her head against his upper arm and shoulder, and with the quiet time came his thoughts of unexpected events since his return, most of them revolving around her.

They were little instances such as eyes catching, their position riding the horse, and even dancing last night had given him that odd kind of fluttering in his stomach that he hadn't had too often in his lifetime. Though, there'd been one other circumstance where he'd had it, but that one had been much different, and he wasn't even sure how to relate it to this one.

It was the last thing he'd expected to happen, but he knew it had to mean there was some kind of feeling there for her that he hadn't had before - or maybe he did have it and just didn't know it. The biggest sign had come from the celebration, when he'd spotted her talking to the miners that evening, and they'd all left, except for Hayden, whom she'd talked to a bit and laughed with.

Jealousy. He was man enough to admit it, sure, but he also knew that he didn't yet understand Mira and Hayden's relationship fully enough to know what kind of friendly terms they were on. So he felt guilty over being jealous. But something he was actually glad for was that he didn't feel too uncomfortable around Mira because of the odd feelings rolling through his brain for the past few days. Sure, he got a little embarrassed from time to time over something like a caught gaze, but that didn't make him want to tuck tale and run away from her. He knew he'd just have to be careful that those feelings didn't grow too large and get out of hand.

After all, he respected her too much to allow that to happen and risk her feelings getting hurt somehow when they didn't have to be. His mind made up to keep himself in check, now clearing the range of mountains to their east, Mira started moving a slight bit and she opened her eyes, reaching up to rub them with a softly muttered apology for falling asleep on him. Link told her it was fine, allowing her to wake up a little more without saying anything else, then peered off into the distance to see a place he'd been before.

"Mira, look."

Mira turned her head at his request to look, seeing a string of geysers in the distance, set against the back drop of Death Mountain with its signature ring of smoke clouding its peak. There was a very small set of buildings in a roadside town that was literally so small only a handful of people lived there settled around the area, prompting her to ask him what it was that she was looking at exactly.

"The geysers or the town?" She asked him.

"Both, have you ever been there?"

"No," she shook her head, glancing back at him, "what about you?"

Link nodded his head, surprising her, and he grinned a slight bit sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as if he might've been a slight bit embarrassed, "Bath houses," he explained.

"Bath houses?" Mira asked. "They have them there?"

"Yeah, costs a small fee to use them, but they're worth it. They have warm water instantly because of the geyser's. It was really nice."

"Sounds like it," Mira smiled, turning to face ahead of them again as they rode. "Maybe we'll have to stop there sometime." After making the idle comment, her eyes suddenly went wide and she twisted to the side to give him a horrified look, realizing what she'd just implied. "I don't mean _we_ as in taking a bath, I just mean, you know...visiting and..."

Link had looked to the side, his lips pursed, but the expression on his face suggested he was about to start laughing and was trying to contain it because she was so embarrassed. Mira stared at him with her jaw a slight bit agape. "You think it's funny!"

She smacked his arm, though she was grinning, and settled herself forward once more. Link started snickering, and then said, "Hey! Come on, you have to admit, that _was_ funny."

"Maybe," she shrugged a bit, smirking and trying not to grin herself. "As long as you're not laughing _at_ me." She amended, then risked another look back at him.

He was still grinning, and she shook her head, finally letting a little snicker herself. As she did so, Link looked down at the back of her head, and his grin faded into a soft little smile. For the millionth time since they'd been riding, he took a breath and caught her fragrance in the air. It was nice, very much so, some kind of floral scent he couldn't place. Maybe he'd have to ask her sometime what it was.

He was glad he'd found her again, definitely, and their teasing of one another right now was just, well, icing on the cake. It made him smile and feel more content than he had in a long time now, cleared his thoughts out and somehow made their goals of visiting this Temple to assess the situation there seem all the more easy to accomplish.

In the distance now, they could see it, the Temple of Time, a tall, granite structure that glinted in the sun slightly, settled amidst the woods of the forest, the Lost Woods to be precise, and even farther in the distance, toward the north-northwest, they could see the banners of Hyrule wavering in the wind, the dark sky looming above it having grown bigger through their travels closer to it.

"It so big, even from this distance." Mira spoke the words as if in a slight daze, like she might've been staring and lost in deep wonder.

"The closer we get, the easier it is to see how odd the sky looks over it."

Mira's head nodded a time or two before she looked away and back to the Temple of Time, the closer of the two destinations. "The power of the new King manifesting itself no doubt. But let's just concentrate on the Temple for now. We don't need to confuse ourselves."

It didn't take them long to draw in closer, the branches of the trees surrounding the base of the temple full of life, green leaves, birds flying away from them and into the distance, chirping happily. It was peaceful even, the canopy dressed by hanging vines sporting white flowers, making one wonder why anyone could say this Temple was cursed, or how it was saying the rumor was true, prompting Mira to comment on that very thing. "It doesn't look so cursed," she said softly.

"I hope it's not," Link replied.

"So do I. Do you know what I heard?"

While Epona trotted up the path, Link shook his head, asking her, "What's that?"

Still looking about the scenery, she told him, "I heard that a long time ago, Sages of Light and Dark had a battle to seal off the chaos in the world into another Realm, and that descendants of those Sages are still here, taking care of this place, and they never speak, because their ancestors said everything that has ever needed to be said concerning their cause."

"They never speak, or they can't?"

"I don't know," she smiled, looking back at him, "but it's a nice story somehow. To think that what your ancestors said might have been so important and thorough that you'd never have to reiterate the point is prestigious in a way. It also seems to prove they were right."

Link could see what she meant, and he nodded at her, looking up to see the steps ahead of them, leading up to the massive doors which were decorated with a symbol of an eye, several lines shooting out from beneath it. As they came toward the steps, Link drew up on the reigns and Epona came to a stop, clapping one of her front hooves on the ground idly while her rider dismounted, and turned to help his companion. Mira took his hand and climbed down herself, thanking him as she straightened her skirt out and stretched her legs.

"I also heard," she started again, "that this place is also called the Temple of Light, but the true Temple of Light resides within the Sacred Realm, and this is it's gateway."

Link nodded as he listened to her, turning to walk in front of Epona, reaching up and brushing her nose. Finally, he replied, "I've heard a few things myself, but nothing like that. I've heard of chaos coming back over a period of time and needing to be extinguished again and again. It makes me think that even if there's a time of peace, there's still a war being fought somewhere, because evil and chaos won't rest from trying to have what it wants."

She listened as she reached into a pouch on the bag they'd tied to the satchel and pulled out a small bottle of the potion she'd brought along incase they needed it, unsure what to have expected from this trip completely. "Hmm, that sounds like a good assumption," she told him, putting the bottle into a pouch on her belt. "I'd never really considered that before."

Looking from Epona and over at Mira as she headed toward him, Link turned and looked up the steps. "So, are you ready to get some answers?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Let's go."

Link gave her a nod when she looked at him and started walking toward the door as she headed up beside of him, taking the large knob and twisting it to the side in order to open it.


	13. Doorway

_Chapter 12 - Doorway_

Inside of the dimly lit entry way, the light from outside began to shine in through the crack of the door as it was pushed open, and the two figures opening the door glimpsed the inside of the stone structure. The room was devoid of life, the windows allowing the light inside along with two candelabra's on each side of the front entryway in the room, flickering shadows off of the walls. Stepping inside, Mira looked back to Link, and she watched him walking ahead, toward an archway that lead into a hallway.

"It's quiet," she said, coming to stand just behind him. Peering down the hallway, she took a step, and then found Link taking her wrist. Turning, she looked back to see him still staring off down the direction they were about to head, and she asked, "What?"

"Stay near me," he replied, "I don't want anything to happen."

With a nod, she let him start walking first, and stayed close to him like he'd suggested, moving through the archway and down the hall quietly. As they went, Mira noticed there was painted glass on the walls depicting various scenes in the land of Hyrule, but somehow they seemed to be very old, as if Hyrule in time's past, as well as in the current age. She wondered just how old they might be, and saw one of a young boy with a sword near the end of them all, wearing an outfit of green with forests and a kingdom behind him.

"Link," she said softly, pointing it out, "look at that."

Link had just noticed it, and he glanced down toward the bottom of the glass decoration to see the symbol of the Triforce gracing it's frame. He clenched his left fist when he did, and heard Mira saying, "This is something that happened a long time ago, but," she glanced up at him, "it looks like you when you were a child."

"It does," he agreed, and Mira could see the thought in his eyes over the image when he said the words. He looked a little tense, or in the very least, foreboding.

Reaching up, she put her hand on his shoulder and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he nodded without missing a beat, "I just think it's strange." After he spoke those words, they heard the door opening, and Link turned, standing in front of Mira, having been a little startled by the sound because of both his deep thought and that it had been so quiet before now.

But as the door opened completely, a man with white hair and a red hood on his head stood there looking at them, wearing a dark red robe with a slate grey vestment which carried the symbol of the temple on it. Link calmed down from his surprise and listened as the man stepped forward and asked, "May I help you?"

Link looked back at Mira, and she glanced from him and to the new face, saying, "We're visiting from Kakariko Village."

The old man nodded his head, giving them both a small smile on his wrinkled face as he told them, "I am Brahm, a priest of time and the steward of this Temple." He looked them both over, pulling his hood off as if in respect of the lady, revealing the fact that he too was a Hylian, his ears just the same as theirs. While it wasn't an incredible thing, to Mira and Link, it was somewhat surprising simply because they'd never met others of their own kind before.

But Mira broke herself out of her side tracked thoughts and told Brahm, "I'm Mira, and this is Link, we're pleased to meet you."

Adding to the courtesy, Link nodded his head, and he decided to ask, "We just saw the painted glass images here, and we were wondering what they were about."

Brahm looked at the images, moving over to them, and Mira and Link stepped to the side to allow him to do so. Looking over the image, he turned to stand beside it and said, "This is a painting of the Hero of Time, a young boy who took up a sword ages ago in order to defeat evil and return Hyrule to its former glory. Have you never heard the tale?"

Mira nodded that she had, and she spied the symbol of the Triforce on the picture at the bottom when she did, then cast her eyes to the side in thought. The symbol she had on her own hand was the same, and she suddenly wondered if that was why Link had stared at the image as he had, because he might have noticed a similar symbol on the back of his own hand since last night.

Brahm, however, didn't know what Mira had been thinking, so he broke through her thoughts and said, "One day, he will return, and once again save Hyrule in its's darkest hour." Something seemed to catch Brahm's eye at that moment, around Link's neck when he turned his head to look at the other painted glass images, and the steward asked him, "Might I see that necklace, sir?"

Link glanced back at the older man, then at Mira, and she glanced between them both before nodding her head. "Sure," Link started, reaching up to pull the amulet from inside of his tunic, holding it up so that Brahm could see it. The man stepped in closer, inspecting the gem, taking it into his own fingers, turning it around. The symbol on the back, that of the royal family, made him look up at Link's face quietly before he nodded and then stepped back, releasing the amulet.

"I think you two should follow me. I have something I need to show you."

Mira looked up at Link when Brahm suggested that, then she followed in behind him, letting the older man lead them into the doors which took them both to an atrium in the back of the Temple. The room was much larger than any that Mira or Link could ever remember being in, called the Chamber of Light. Meditating priests were sitting about the corners of the chamber in silence, the roof domed out, lit chandeliers hanging in a few places along it. Candelabra's stood on the walls, all of them lit, and the room seemed to depict much history and lore.

On the roof was painted a mural of the representation of the three Goddesses that created the Triforce, warding off evil and chaos to manage the creation of the world, and at the head of the room was a large mirror, arched at the top as if it might've been a doorway in itself.

Link and Mira both peered about the room, taking the sights in, and as they did so, Brahm stepped before them both and told them, "I've been expecting you, actually. I saw that amulet in a dream, and a voice told me to 'Let me through'. When I allowed it through, the darkness I'd been wandering in broke away and a bright light shone down on me. So I've brought you to this chamber to allow you to see more."

Mira looked over at Link, wondering if perhaps the man might have been confused with her since the amulet was originally hers, but something told her she'd handed it over to Link for a reason now, and that things were precisely as they should be. Brahm turned to the mirror and then held out his arm. "Step to the mirror, and tell me the true reflection."

Link turned his gaze from Brahm to the mirror, and he then looked at Mira. She was reading the words written above the mirror in Hylian, and spoke them aloud. "Only the chosen will see the true path. Only the chosen will return stronger."

Link took a breath, unsure of what this all meant, but when Mira looked over at him and gave him a supportive nod, he smiled at her a slight bit, and then stepped toward the short steps leading up to where the mirror rested in the wall.

As he approached it more closely, he narrowed his brows. Instead of a reflection of the room behind himself, and everyone in it, he saw them, but the scenery was that of a lush green forest. He couldn't help but get closer to make sure what he was seeing was right, and surely enough, there was a forest, as plain as day.

"Mira," he turned around, "do you see that?"

Mira looked at the mirror, only seeing their reflections, asking him, "What do you see?"

"It's a forest."

"The Lost Woods?"

"I think so," Link nodded, "do you see it too?"

Mira shook her head, only able to see the room behind them and the meditating priests situated about it. "No, just what's in this room." She looked over at him, watching him as he lifted his hand to the mirror. In doing so, as the pads of his fingertips met the glass, it began to react and shimmer like a pool of water. Mira stared in both confusion and wonder, then she lifted her own hand and placed it on the surface, nothing happening in response.

Brahm, having watched the scene, whom also couldn't see through the mirror himself, finally began to speak. "You see what the mirror truly is, a portal to the woodlands, a means of protecting all that is sacred from malevolent hands. Those who pass through however still face the maze of the Lost Woods, and the risk of not returning."

After listening to Brahm's explanation, Link looked back at the mirror again, and pushed his arm into it, the limb passing through it and onto the other side. The action surprised Mira, watching as Link stepped forward and through the mirror completely.

"Link?" She asked, placing her hand up onto the glass. She couldn't see the shroud of trees he was standing under, or how green and full of life the scenery was. Link took it all in for a moment, and then turned around, seeing Mira on the other side of the mirror he'd passed through, her hands up on the glass, asking his name, but no sound was heard.

Mira frowned, her lips pursing to the side, and she stepped back, wrapping her arms around her chest. She hoped he'd be okay, but it was in that moment that his arm came back through the mirror and she gasped as she was tugged toward it, putting her arm up because she wasn't sure if the barrier would give way to her.

She was surprised when it did however, gasping loudly as she stepped into the forest area with him and stared up at him wide eyed. Letting her breath go again finally, she smacked his arm lightly and told him, "You scared me!"

Link smiled impishly and replied, "Sorry, I forgot you wouldn't be able to see me if I stepped through the mirror, or, portal, whatever it is."

With a deep breath, Mira looked back and shook her head slowly, able to see the inside of the atrium from where she was, the mirror set up as if only a portal, nothing behind it but more forest, the sun just behind it in the sky, sunset drawing closer in another few hours. "I guess it's just a doorway. You're just the only one who has the power to bend the barrier to be passed through into these woods."

"The Lost Woods," he added, "somehow I don't get the feeling this will be easy."

Mira figured, as she looked about while he said that, that the reason people got lost here was due to the beauty surrounding them. After all, she couldn't remember having ever seen such a lushly green forest before, blossoms of flowers almost everywhere. Perhaps it was due to an untainted aura, so free of people who could pollute it due to avoidance. Link, on the other hand, figured people got lost because there wasn't a set road, and so much of it looked the same despite it's beauty that it confused them.

Faint glowing orbs flickered above the bushes and flowers, a fairy here or there, the color of glowing pink flying by. They began to walk further into the forest, looking about quietly, and Mira spoke, "Nissa told me pink fairy's can heal wounds, even breath life back into someone who's dying."

"I've heard the same thing. Nabooru has seen it done before she told me. That's why they're rare, people tend to exploit them apparently. It makes sense that we would see more here though since no one's around."

As they walked, spotting another pink fairy drifting about that could possibly have been the same one as before, Mira snapped a branch from a bush which she tossed to the ground. Link watched her, knowing that she was trying to mark their path while they went along. At least that way, if they came back to the same place twice, they could tell by the broken limbs.

But as he watched her, he heard someone giggling off in the distance, and looked to see if he could spy anything. He did manage to glance the retreating form of what appeared to be a small child, and he looked at Mira, asking, "Why is there a kid out here?"

"I don't think that's a child," she told him as she stepped over. "Probably some spirit of the forest, trying to misguide us. We'll have to trust our instincts here."

Considering that, Link then heard more of the giggling. Turning to look back and see the same visage of the child-like entity shuffling through the bushes in another direction, his brows narrowed and he took Mira's hand as the sound grew stronger, not wanting to lose her and himself. The sounds were coming from different directions, growing louder over time, and they both saw one, then another visage, the child imitators heading in two general directions around them, moving quickly which only allowed for swift glimpses of them. The sounds coupled with the fast movements made them both a good bit dizzy.

Mira reached up and put her hand on Link's shoulder, telling him, "Close your eyes, Link. We haven't moved one step, so we're in the same place. It's trying to make us forget our sense of direction."

Sighing out his breath, Link listened and closed his eyes, his grip on her hand tightening a bit since he couldn't see in order to let himself know she was still there. It was in that moment that he had a thought, that being the sun and the shadows. He'd have to keep their direction in mind as well in order to know which way they were going. Though Link had usually prided himself on having a good sense of direction, he considered in those few moments that a compass might not be too bad of a purchase for later.

The laugher began to die away, and one of Link's eyes opened, then the other. Mira's had opened as well, and she turned her head to glance about, sighing in relief that the dizzying spells were over now. As they both regained themselves, it was then that Link saw a stone jutting up from the ground with carvings on it a short ways away from them both. Turning around, he headed towards it to see what it was.

Mira went with him, stepping over to the stone to see that was ornately carved and had words in the Hylian language written up and down it's sides. Kneeling down to read it, running her finger along the words from right to left, she said, "You've found me here, so lend an ear, much dwells within these woods to fear. Spirits lost over time have rung the bells of mischief's chime. Beware the paths on which you roam, unless this place you'll call your home."

The words made indirect sense, and looking up, Mira mused aloud, "So no following spirits who've been lost here. Apparently they want to mislead people into getting just as lost as they did."

"I'm going to throw a rock at her the next time I see her."

The random comment made Mira cover her eyes with her hand as she stood up, grinning and shaking her head. With a little sigh, she pulled her hand away from her face, saying, "You're not subtle, you know." Looking up to give him a pointed glance, she found that he was gone. Gasping in her breath, she called his name and turned around, spotting him on the other side of her, inspecting the area. Having completely thought she'd lost him only to suddenly see him standing there like that made her gasp in shock.

When she did so after calling his name, he looked back and couldn't help a smirk, "What!? You took your eyes off of me for five seconds and think I'm going to just disappear?"

"Mischief's chime," she reminded him, pointing at the stone while walking over to him. "There's no telling what these spirits are capable of. Besides, _you_ were squeezing my hand just a few moments ago."

"I was dizzy," he excused.

"Admit it, you were afraid you'd lose me too!"

"Alright, I'm sorry I startled you," he smirked, walking on ahead.

"You're," she paused for an incredulous moment, "sorry? I asked you to admit you were afraid, not say you're sorry."

"I'm not afraid." He said simply in response. "But no, I didn't _want_ to lose you."

"Oh, that is just typical male pride," she muttered, following in behind him with her arms crossed over her chest and an annoyed expression on her face. Though he heard her, he didn't reply, only grinned because she'd gotten so frustrated over it, and somehow, she was cute when she was frustrated.

Watching him moving on, just giving him a once over, she considered tugging his hair from the short ponytail at the nape of his neck just to get him back, but decided the childish methods of evening the score were definitely beyond them both, especially here. After all, they had bigger fish to fry at that moment.


	14. Revelations

_Chapter 13 - Revelations_

Walking through the Lost Woods, heading beneath the canopy of trees, Mira realized that Link was just walking aimlessly. They'd both been steadily keeping track of their walking by breaking branches here and there, and inevitably, they did come back across one or two of them. Whenever they did, they'd turn in a different direction and head that way.

It didn't take long for the giggling spirit to return, and when it did, Mira and Link both stopped walking and attempted to tune out the sounds that would swirl about them in a haze, trying to keep track of themselves. Once the spirit finally gave up for a moment, they'd both keep on the track they'd been heading on, and continued leaving themselves breadcrumbs in the for of broken branches.

Another illusion they ended up seeing was that of Epona. The spirits went so far as to try and trick them into running after her as she was chased down and attacked, something neither Mira nor Link watched. While they knew it was just another trick, there was a small part of them both that worried over things.

At one point, Link saw Mira running past him, and he called her name only to find her taking his hand, still standing behind himself. She shook her head, having explained that she thought she'd seen him moving away at an earlier point in their journey as well, and would have gone after him if she hadn't gotten a bad feeling about doing so, looking back to see he was actually taking in his surroundings while trying to figure out which way to go.

"We must be getting close to something. They seem to be getting desperate," Link told her when she explained her own illusion to him.

She agreed, taking his hand, saying, "We should keep holding hands so we won't almost be fooled like that again. Do you have any clues as to where we're going exactly?"

Folding his fingers around her hand, Link replied, "Well, I have a small theory."

"What's that?"

Link glanced back at her and then ahead again, giving his explanation. "Well, all of these illusions we keep seeing never head north."

"So what are you thinking?"

"Well, I know the portal we walked through is to the west, so we already know what's back that way. Sounds like heading north is the best bet."

"How do you know it's in the west?" Mira asked curiously.

"The sun," he told her simply, "it sets in the west, and will go down in just another hour or two. The shadows were pointing directly away from the portal when we first arrived here, since the sun was heading to sunset behind it." Once he'd said that, Mira smiled at his observation, then let him continue. "I definitely don't want to try for east or south since that spirit seems to prefer running in those directions anyway."

"Are you sure about that? It sounds a little complex."

"Exactly. It's a means of confusion."

"And what if it shows up and starts trying to lead us north?"

"Then it was listening in on our conversation and it's trying to confuse us again."

He heard her laughter sounding over his comically spoken words, looking back to see one of the most amused looks on her face he'd seen since he'd come back to Kakariko the day before. He couldn't help but grin, and stopped to let her sober up. Finishing off her laugh, she caught her breath before looking about the new area they were in, calming down from her mirth. Up ahead there looked to be a slight clearing, brighter than the rest of the forest, and Mira pointed it out.

"Seems like you've at least found a grove of trees. Maybe that's something important."

Whatever was laying in the grove of trees was shining too brightly to be seen until they got closer, and in doing so, the glint began to fade away to show a structure. It was a pedestal, one of white, raising up from the ground by three steps on each side of it's octagonal shape. As Link and Mira stepped toward it, they could see a sword, stabbed into the very center, it's blade reflecting the sunlight, the blue hilt shining. Both of them knew without question what the object was.

The Master Sword.

It was in those moments as they gazed upon the ancient relic that words rang out in Mira's mind. _Equip Link to set Hyrule back on the right track and guide him as he will guide you. _Mira looked over at him as he stood there just ahead of her, the sword and everything beyond him in her vision blurring a bit, focusing on him alone.

"...Link?"

His head tilted forward and he looked back.

"Go claim it."

With Mira urging him to do so, Link looked down at his gauntlet covered hands, then he asked her, "Do you really think I can?"

"I...," she paused to take in a breath, knowing this was a part of her fate, to guide him, "I know you can."

The words surprised him a bit, and he looked back to her, seeing the completely confident look in her violet blue eyes, one that told him volumes on how much she believed that. Somehow, that spoke to him that she knew much more than she'd been letting onto. But somehow, he didn't care in that moment. Seeing her belief in him lent strength to his belief in himself, not to mention there was that look in her eyes.

She looked hopeful again. The one look he could never refuse.

Giving her a nod of his head, he turned, and then headed toward the pedestal.

Mira took a few steps forward, taking in a deep breath, watching as he stepped up onto the pedestal, her hands folded together in front of her chest as if in hopeful prayer. Link slowly stepped toward the sword, stopping just before it. Lifting his left hand, he could almost see a glow coming from beneath the gauntlet he wore, causing him to stop. At the same time, Mira's own left hand began to do the same thing, and she glanced down at it, then closed her eyes.

"Take it, Link," she spoke too softly for him to hear, her eyes opening once again. "Take the Master Sword."

Finally, his fingers gripped the hilt of the blade, and with a flex of muscle, he pulled it free from the stone pedestal in which it had been imprisoned. As he tugged it upward and drew it around, slicing the air with the finely crafted weapon, a loud whirr of sound could be heard, a white light rising from the pedestal on which he stood now. That power seemed to send out a shockwave that faded not too far from their positions, causing them to look on in wonder.

What the two of them didn't know was that with the shockwave, the white stones of Myriad placed about Hyrule began to glow with life once again, one by one.

Turning, Link faced Mira, and she quietly looked him over, but her face changed to surprise as she peered behind him, not exactly the expression he'd been expecting.

Into the air leaped a creature which came down toward Link's body swiftly, slicing a jagged battle axe at him in an arch, which went to cleave him in two, yet only met the stone of the pedestal where he'd been standing a moment before.

Link had been warned by Mira's look that something was behind him, and he'd rolled to the side, turning to face his opponent now. The Stalfos stood up straight, it's leering skull seeming to grin down at him maliciously, a rounded shield on one bone-arm, a huge battle axe in the hand of the other. The walking skeleton was also nearly three times taller than Link, making for a hugely unfair fight.

The monster didn't waste time and swung his battle axe at Link again swiftly with a lowly made laugh. Link rolled to the side to avoid the blade considering he didn't have a shield, and he knew he would have to be careful in order to get a hit off of this guy with the shield that he wielded himself. So he moved forward and brought the Master Sword around, meeting it to the battle axe once it was swung a second time with a clash of metal as the Stalfos leered down at him evilly. Moving fast, it turned to bash Link with his shielded arm.

As the shield hit Link, it bashed into a translucent barrier, absorbing the blow. Link had flinched, expecting to feel some pain, but the barrier there held firmly. Link glanced past his enemy to see Mira standing there with the tips of her index and middle fingers touching, her eyes closed in concentration. Impa had taught her magic spells, he remembered, and he couldn't help feeling a wave of relief as he used this to his advantage. With a grunt of effort, he pushed the battle axe backwards with his own blade, then sliced it to the side, breaking the boney arm carrying the shield.

The Stalfos reeled back a bit, giving Link another open spot, which he took, turning the master sword in his arm against the skull of the monster. At the same time, he deflected a sudden jerk of the battle axe with the Master Sword, and knocked the monster's head completely from its shoulders. But it's body continued to fight.

Slamming the battle axe down into the pedestal on which they fought, Link rolled to the side beneath it before it could strike him, coming to stand just behind his opponent. Without pausing, he brought his blade up, through the opposite arm which had been wielding the battle axe, making the creature completely defenseless.

Stumbling back, the bones of the Stalfos began to turn to ash and crumple down, blowing away with the breeze. Seeing this, Link backed away a few steps, taking in his surroundings to be sure there were no more threats for the moment about to attack them both. Seeing none, he stood a little more at ease than before and turned to look over at Mira.

Mira opened her eyes and took a breath from the effort of concentration she'd just given to shield Link where he had none of his own in the face of danger, looking to see that he was completely fine now, his opponent defeated, unable to help the relief she felt. She turned her gaze onto him, watching as he stood there quietly.

Link had closed his eyes when she did. He was trying to take it all in now. In his hand rested the Master Sword, a sword that no one could wield, yet he just had. Mira watched him as he drew the blade down, the rays of light shining through the branches in the forest that made him seem like everything she'd ever thought the legend might be.

"You," she paused and took in her breath, "it's all true. You're the one they prophesied about."

Link opened his eyes to watch her quietly as she stood there, the breeze picking up a few strands of hair hanging about her ears, then he started to head toward her slowly. As he did, Mira felt somehow guilty, very guilty, for keeping so many things from him. As he stopped to stand next to her, looking down at her side, he set the sword he'd just possessed to rest against a tree trunk near them both, and then looked at his left hand.

Mira looked over and watched him pulling his gauntlet off. Once the straps were undone, and the item fell to the ground, she could see the mark of the Triforce there just as clearly as she could see him. Finally, he replied to her.

"I found this on the back of my hand early this morning. I've never had it before."

With a slow nod, Mira reached for her own glove. The movement made Link watch her closely. He couldn't help himself, his complete attention given as she tugged the brown glove from her fingertips, pulling it off to reveal that she also had the same mark, holding her left hand up so he could see it more clearly. Gazing it over for a moment, his eyes finally went to her face to see that her eyes were already watching his.

"You have one too?," he asked.

"Only when you showed up again the other day. I also have something else to tell you, but I didn't want to, not until I knew everything for certain. And now I do."

Link stayed quiet, slowly shaking his head at her as if he only partially understood. Mira turned to face him completely, folding her hands somewhat demurely before her skirt, and she breathed in a deep sigh of breath, to ready herself for what she was about to say to him.

"Impa is a member of an ancient people called the Sheikah. She was a caretaker for the heir to the throne of Hyrule, the child of the King and Queen. But their minds were brainwashed by a powerful mage into thinking their child was that of another's, switching those two children out."

"This mage went to great lengths to make sure that his son was never found out, and that he could have all of the power in existence, going so far as obtaining the Triforce for him. But when he did manage to obtain it, the Triforce broke into three pieces. He only kept one of them, the Triforce of Power. The others went to two people destined to do great things."

Mira took a breath during her litany of the story that Impa had told her, turning and walking away from Link a few steps, not sure she could look at him when she finally admitted the truth to him, that she'd been hiding things, as well as admit to herself who she actually was since she'd never said it aloud before. Link listened completely though, watching her every move intently.

"The Triforce of Wisdom went to the child of the royals, and that of Courage went to the Hero whom was meant to bring balance back to Hyrule. Impa told me that the night the true child of the King and Queen was taken in order to be protected, there was another that was taken with her, a Princess and the son of one of the Royal Guards. The girl's name was Zelda, and the boy's name..."

She closed her eyes, and Link already knew what she was going to say, but he let her finish. "The boy's name was Link. You were sent away for both your own safety and for fear that the Princess wouldn't bode so well on her own, and needed someone to protect her."

"The girl's name was changed to protect her identity, and the children were sent to a small village to be safe until the time came that they could return home safely."

Mira opened her eyes after she'd spoken the words, parting her lips to finally draw her explanation to a close. "When you showed up, our parts of the Triforce reacted to one another now that we're old enough to be able to do what we need to. I'm...not Mira. I'm the...Princess of Hyrule. My name is Zelda. And I'm so sorry I didn't tell you this the moment I realized I had that mark. But I was selfish, I wanted to have a day with you that was like when we were children, and I couldn't accept the truth right away. Can you forgive me?"

She wasn't sure how to look at herself anymore. This child she grew up as, named Mira, or the woman she was supposed to be, the Princess Zelda. As she stood there, confused and uncertain, she hoped he could say yes, he forgave her, but at the same time, she didn't feel like she deserved it.

It was in the middle of her thoughts that she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she couldn't stop a flood of tears from rolling down her cheeks.

"You don't need to be sorry," she heard him saying from close behind her. "I didn't tell you about the mark I found either. Besides, it wasn't selfish, I wanted a day for us too, more than that, actually. That day wasn't just for you, it was for us both. We hadn't seen each other for ten years. I don't think it was too much to ask to have that."

Mira couldn't help a tiny smile, though it was a sad one. Turning her head, she risked looking back at him at the cost of more tears when she saw his blameless face, and she asked, "But I'm...I don't even know who I am anymore."

"That's easy," he replied without missing a single beat. "You're you, the same Mira I knew when I was a child, just grown up. Mira, Zelda," he stopped for a second in thought, then went on, "Mary, Lilly, Anna, whatever. I know you, and you know yourself. That's all you need to know, Mira, and all I really need to. After all, what's in a name?"

What he said made sense, and she considered it. Princess Zelda or plain old Mira, she was still herself, and she nodded to let him know she understood, considering the name for a moment once she had. "Well, I _do_ like the name Zelda," she smiled, and with her smile came one of his own, glad she wasn't too torn up over this, at least not to the point of despair as some people might have been.

Mira turned to face him completely, tears still rolling down her cheeks through her sad smile, and she breathed out deeply before leaning in to hug him tightly. The movement had been swift, but Link didn't mind it at all, just put his hands on her shoulders and slipped them around and behind her to hug her in return. As he stood there, he tilted his head forward and let his eyes shut.

"You're my friend and my family," he told her on a soft voice. "If you thought I'd care what your past was, then you're wrong. Princess or not, this isn't going to come between us. Just because we both have a destiny to fulfill doesn't mean we have to end our friendship. We can fulfill it together."

The words only made her cry harder, though it wasn't for complete sadness. Instead, she was happy to hear him say that, and she couldn't help herself. She felt comfortable right where she was, and she had a thought, which she expressed to him in that moment between hiccups.

"If I am the Princess, and I have to take the throne of Hyrule, don't you dare think you're going back to Kakariko to live."

The words made him grin. "Yes, your majesty." His response got a little snicker out of her like he wanted.

Looking up at him, she pulled a hand back and stood up straight, wiping her eyes. Link smiled when she let him go, then looked down at himself. Reaching up to his neck, he found the amulet he still wore currently, pulling it up and off of his head. "This is bothering me though. I think you should keep it. It's yours, and it won't keep me any closer to you if I'm wearing it. I think I'm tied to you no matter what now."

Mira lowered her head and let him put the amulet back on her, knowing he was right somehow. It belonged to the Royal Family, and she needed to keep it, just incase. Once settled, she looked down as the stone rested against her bosom. Reaching for it, tucking the familiar item inside of her clothing to be hidden, she gave him a nod of understanding, agreeing that she also knew somehow that it wouldn't tie them together anymore than fate already had. Somehow, they'd probably have each other's company for a long while to come.

At that time, Mira glanced back at the pedestal the Master Sword had once been held on in thought, and she blinked her eyes a few times when she saw something unexpected.

"Link, look."

He turned around when she mentioned it and his brows raised over his eyes in surprise. A light had formed on the pedestal, sparkling slowly inwards, growing in luminescence until it flared up brightly and took the form of a woman in a white hooded cloak. As she came into form, they could see that her face looked youthful but somehow wise, her body almost transparent as if she were an apparition, and she had long curly blonde hair hanging from the inside of her hood and behind her hylian ears.

Link and Mira glanced at each other for a moment, then back to the apparition when she began to speak, her voice soft but very refined in nature.

"I can sense that the Master Sword has found it's home in the hands of Hyrule's Savior, and if I'm not mistaken, your name is Link."

Link stared at the woman in white, looking back to Mira for a moment who was just as wondered by the spectacle before her as he had been. Finally, he nodded his head, "I am Link. Do you have a name?"

"Yes, I am Myriad, the Sage of Light and advisor to the Royal Family of Hyrule. You have wielded the sacred sword of our ancestors and awoken me from my slumber, and for that, I thank you. Now I can aide in the reclamation of our once proud Kingdom."

Mira had stepped up toward where Link stood before the lady while she listened intently. Hearing that this woman was an advisor of the royal family, she asked, "How can we stop Ganondorf from spreading evil in this Kingdom?"

"By concentrating your efforts first on readying yourself, my lady Zelda," replied Myriad. "The foe I faced in my age was his father, an evil Mage whom summoned forth dark power from the Sacred Realm and named himself Dragmire, King of Darkness. This pedestal where the Master Sword was kept safe is that which links the Sacred Realm with your own, one in which both great good and terrible evil may disperse from. It is only here that I can assume my true shape, so I will not be able to join you on your quest. But I can give you information once you are ready to seek it out."

"Then how can you aide us if you can't come with us?" Link asked curiously.

In response, Myriad told him, "I have placed throughout the kingdom several stones which, with my awakening, will allow you to speak with me any time you wish it through a simple touch. If you're ever in doubt, contact me, and I will help you through your troubling times. This extends to you as well, my Princess."

Mira looked down, still a bit shaky when it came to her true identity, but she bravely took in a breath and nodded her head, "Thank you, my lady."

"You are welcome. You're both caught in the web of an evil time, one that will no doubt flourish stronger once it realizes the Hero of Legend has come to right it's wrongs. Now that you have the Master Sword, Link, things will become much more difficult for you both. The Princess needs to be protected at all costs until she can be restored to the throne, and rid it of the evils infesting it. This task fell to you when you were still a baby."

"What happened exactly?" Link asked her, very curious over the matter.

"Dragmire sought to fortify his son's future on the throne of Hyrule when he was still a child, using powerful magic to brainwash the King and Queen, and everyone else whom knew of Zelda, to make them believe his son was their own. From there, he began to seek the power of the Triforce, sealed inside of the Sacred Realm. He knew that when he'd originally summoned forth dark powers, an equal yet opposite reaction to his own action occurred. The Sacred Realm sent powerful light magic forth into another, whom was his equal in the magic arts, in order to create a balance between our two realms."

"You received those powers," Mira commented.

"Yes," Myriad nodded, looking over at her. "Dragmire began to seek me out after that, wishing to use me to both undo the seal on the Sacred Realm, as well as obtain the Triforce for him. Eventually, he found me, and I opened the seal on the Realm only so that I could enter myself and shut the portal once more before he could step in and obtain any part of the Triforce."

Hearing that Myriad had sacrificed her life here in order to protect everyone, Link and Mira both felt a new wave of respect growing for the woman represented through magic before them now. But there was another question to be asked, and Link brought the topic up, "But it still fell into his hands, didn't it? After all, we apparently got pieces of it."

"Yes," Myriad replied with a nod of her head. "Years later, he regained entry to the Sacred Realm by sacrificing the blood of someone innocent. Once he returned to open the seal, and succeeded, I tricked him into trying to possess the whole of the Triforce for himself, knowing that no matter which of us took it, the three pieces would break away."

"Why didn't you just take one of them then?" Mira asked.

"He wished for us to both claim a piece simultaneously, believing as I knew was true, that he would only manage to keep one in his possession before the other two vanished. Had I also possessed a piece with him, he would used the leverage of my friends over me and have held me in captivity to use its power to his advantage, and I could not allow this. One piece against his two could have destroyed Hyrule completely. So I played to his arrogance in that he was powerful enough to contain all three in order to prevent this."

"In retribution for my trickery, he used the Triforce of Power he'd obtained to seal me back inside of the Sacred Realm in order that I would not be able to thwart him. So I cast myself into a deep slumber, only to awaken once the true Hero came calling in order to assist him."

Link and Mira both grew silent, as did Myriad, whom allowed all that she'd just said to sink into their minds. It had been a long story after all, and she didn't wish to rush the tale. After several moments of deliberation by the Princess and the Hero, Myriad finally finished her story.

"Now it has fallen to you, Link, and it is important for the Princess to be kept safe, guided back to the Throne on which she should rightfully sit. This will certainly be a difficult task."

Link shook his head as if he didn't care. "No matter how hard things become," Link said, "I don't intent to let harm come to her."

A little smile graced Myriad's lips as he spoke. With a nod, the white lady replied, "I don't doubt you. Both of you have a deep inner strength you'll have to call on to survive this, as well as the bonds formed when you were both children. You'll need aide however to reclaim what is rightfully ours and set things back to the way they should be. To start, you must travel to Roshala Village. There, you will find more of the tools needed to complete your quest."

Once spoken, Myriad lifted her hand, and as she did, a bright light formed in her palm and then shot forth swiftly. It slammed into Link, causing him to double forward, though it wasn't pain he felt, only a force that had hit him, which began to encompass his body. As this happened, Myriad went on, "Now that the Hero has been found, I bestow to you a gift, clothing suiting for such a warrior, as well as the shield and sheath to carry your sword and protect yourself."

As the light finished encompassing him, Link looked down at his hands. A pair of gauntlets rested on his arms, and they looked different from the ones he'd formerly possessed, etched with a leaf pattern and more durable, the marks of the triforce on the backs of each hand. His tan tunic had turned into a green jerkin with some of the same patterns gracing the arms and shoulders as well as the waist area hanging about his thighs, a white tunic and a set of chain mail beneath it. His boots also felt like new instead of used and worn down.

Lifting his head to Myriad again, she told him, "Now go forth and restore Hyrule to it's people. May the light guide you."

The image of the woman started fading away and Link stepped forth, lifting his arm as if to stop her, asking quickly, "Wait, what happened seventeen years ago!? What happened to my parents!?"

"You will find out more," Myriad replied as she faded away, "when you collect the next piece of your quest."

The image of the woman disappeared, and Link lowered his arm with a deeply sighed out breath. As he did, Mira put her hand on his shoulder to get his attention and told him, "Don't worry, maybe we're just not ready to know yet. We'll go to Roshala now, and find out our answers there."

Turning his head to look at her, he nodded and offered her a small smile. She was probably right, again, he thought to himself but didn't say anything of it. "I know, but like you, I'm curious as well." Turning to spy the sword he'd rested against the tree trunk earlier, he went to grab it and looked down at it, the tip glinting in the evening sunlight. Link lifted the blade and turned it, pushing it down into the blue, gold, and silver sheath on his back now, and Mira watched him. She somehow felt awed, even though she'd known this man all of her life, to be able to witness what his own path would lead him down.

She also felt humbled in knowing what he was willing to do, both for the kingdom, and for her. He didn't have to do this at all, but she was one of his reasons and she really didn't have to be whatsoever. He could have just done it because it was the right thing to do, and he was a caring, courageous person.

"Mira?"

Looking up, seeing that Link had turned to look at her as if he might've been waiting on her, she smiled, the smile somehow brighter than a normal smile, and he wasn't sure why she'd done so, but he just decided to ask, "Were you daydreaming?"

"Hmm, yes and no. Just considering Myriad and how much she gave to help this kingdom." She didn't tell him the truth just because it had embarrassed her a little considering how nicely he looked in his new garb. Pushing those thoughts from her mind, she went on to ask, "But, we need to leave, right?"

Nodding his head, he waved a hand, "Unless we're staying the night out here."

"No thank you," she shook her head, walking toward him. "I'm ready to go when you are."

Once she reached him, they began walking to find their way back to the portal that had led them both there.


	15. Dark Half

_Chapter 14 - Dark Half_

The settling sun in the west drew down over the fields of Hyrule behind a blanket of clouds that were tinged orange and pink in the sky. Such beauty was lost on him, however, uncaring how the scenery looked, only caring for one thing in that moment, being the softly glowing stone located in the courtyard of Hyrule Palace, the one and only remaining Myriad Stone left in all of the area.

"How ironic."

"What is that, my lord?"

"That the dawn would come at sun down." Ganondorf watched the stone, reaching up to idly stroke his beard in thought as he considered this. "Myriad has awoken. Finally the time has come."

The captain of the guards standing close behind Ganondorf had seen the stones himself with his one working eye, and as his king spoke, he glanced to the back of his head, the both of them standing on a crossway connecting two towers just above the Palace's roof with the courtyard below them. Arden knew with these words meant that their fight was about to become much more intense. There was another guard standing with them on the crossway as well, a soldier under Arden's command, and he asked the next question.

"Should your men double their efforts into the defense of the Palace?"

Ganondorf lowered his hand and let out a sighed breath. Turning his head in the direction of the guard, he asked, "Defense of the Palace?" He turned around and walked over to the man slowly.

"Yes, my lord," he replied simply, growing a little anxious to have his king seemingly scrutinizing him.

Ganondorf reached up and placed his hand on the collar of the man's armor. Even though the man was bigger than he was, he jerked him around and to the side, saying nothing, and simply pulling him toward the edge of the crossway with little effort. The man yelled as he was thrown over the edge of the roof, careening down into the courtyard, and to his death which silenced his yells.

"Defense of the Palace," he scoffed, looking down at the body as some people had moved toward it, unsure of what had happened, "why should I protect a structure that, ultimately, is meaningless? Arden, was he high in your command?"

"No sir," Arden replied right off the bat, not wishing to be thrown from the roof as his subordinate just hand, no matter what the man's rank might have been. "None that can't be replaced."

"Good," Ganondorf replied, turning to walk down the crossway, and Arden headed in behind him, giving a lifted brow to the courtyard and the scene he'd just witnessed as he went. He also listened as his King continued speaking after a moment, walking inside of the tower. "This place holds little meaning. What _I_ want is that prophecy's head on a platter, that whelp I've seen in my visions who's so unwittingly eluded me. And now I have the perfect opportunity," he chuckled out softly.

Following Ganondorf down the set of spiral stairs, Arden lifted a brow in some slight surprise, asking him, "Might I know how this is?"

Heading to the landing, once he'd reached it, and before opening the tower door, Ganondorf looked back to his Captain and replied, "It's simple. My father sealed Myriad inside of the Sacred Realm to keep her out of our affairs. As of now, he is at the Temple of Time. He had to go through there to awaken her. He will still be there now."

Once he'd explained it, Ganondorf opened the door and stepped into the throne room, completely empty of people at current, heading toward the Throne which he stopped next to, and then reached up, placing a hand on the back of it.

Arden didn't waste time, already knowing his king wanted to send someone after them, and he asked, "I only need to know how many you want sent. We can get there by sunset."

"Yes, I know. Take as many as you like if they are available. I want that place thoroughly searched. There's no question, he's still there." Ganondorf glanced to the side in thought, adding the words, "Go now."

"Yes, your highness." With the spoken words of obedience, Arden took off to do as his king wanted quickly.

"And Arden."

Stopping when Ganondorf spoke his name, Arden looked back. Once he did, Ganondorf told him, "Do not disappoint me by returning empty handed."

Knowing what that meant, Arden finally nodded his head, then went forth to do his king's bidding once more. Watching the large man leave the throne room, Ganondorf turned toward the wall behind the throne itself in silent thought, and walked over to it, lifting his hand. In doing so, he depressed one of the bricks which caused a door behind the fine material draped across the wall to open in secret, then pushed that drape back to step inside.

He began heading down the hallway located behind it silently, torches lit casting a dim glow to his form. At the end of the dark corridor was a door with the symbol of the Triforce emblazoned across the stone it was made from, and Ganondorf lifted his left hand. Pressing it to the surface of the door, the triangular symbol he possessed, which was not visible a moment before, began to glow through his gauntlet, and the door gave way, allowing him entry.

The room that lay beyond the door was almost pitch black. There was only one light, settled on the windowless wall at the front of the room behind a chair, one in which sat a robed and hooded figure. The posture of the individual was slumped forward as if perhaps they weren't even living, nothing visible through the black materials binding the body and hooding the head, save for two sets of boney, wrinkled hands, the skin of which was nearly stark white.

Stepping toward the crippled figure, Ganondorf knelt down on a knee, next to the chair, looking across at the thin lips and chin of the man whom was seated before him. As he did so, he spoke the words, "It has come."

Once spoken, the fingers hanging from the hands flexed once or twice slowly, surprisingly not breaking off completely when they did so with as boney as they looked. The lips parted, asking, "What has?"

"The stones are glowing. Your enemy has awoken from her slumber."

As he spoke the words, the man twitched a few times disturbingly, and something of a cough could be heard that sounded more like a short hack of breath. "Myriad," he drew out, sitting back slowly. "My son...," he rasped out, "you must find her."

These words were something Ganondorf hadn't expected exactly. Narrowing his brows, he watched as the decrepit old man slowly turned his head, looking over at him with a pair of beady orange eyes that looked far too vivid to be settled in such a decayed face. Ganondorf shook his head slowly as the slender hand of his father was placed upon his own, and he asked, "Find Myriad?"

"Yes," Dragmire whispered, "find her. She can give you absolute power. The power to overthrow the Sacred Realm," he drew out, taking back in another breath. "To use it, for complete control. That is all which remains in your...search for dominance."

Ganondorf glanced to the side in thought over these words. He'd already considered possessing the Sacred Realm for his own, and while he wondered over the means to do this completely, Dragmire's scratchy voice sounded once more, telling him his answer.

"You must...collect them. The Triforce of Wisdom...and of Courage. The three together," he stopped as he began a hard coughing fit, one during which Ganondorf slowly stood up, completing his father's sentence in his own head before the man could finish. Finally, Dragmire gasped for air, and went on, "They can open the Realm to you. Seek them out."

"This is the last of my quests?" Ganondorf asked, "To seek Myriad through the remaining Triforce halves?"

"Yes," came the raspy voice once again. "That is your final conquest."

Ganondorf lifted his head back once he heard this and a slow smirk traced his lips. Looking back down at his father, he gave the deathly looking man a nod, then, and without warning, he turned his arm and gripped his blade, ripping it through the air and subsequently, through Dragmire's chest.

Coming to rest over the decrepit face of his father, staring down at him, Ganondorf smiled. His hands still gripping the blade he held, he slowly let go of it and placed his palms on the back corners of the chair. "Then consider this my mercy on your suffering now that you've finally told me all I need to know," he looked the man's face over, adding slowly, "_father_."

As Dragmire lay there motionless, finally dying with the roll of eyes into the back of his head, Ganondorf stood up straight, stepping back from the chair on which he'd been leaning, leaving the blade jutting out of Dragmire's chest. He felt no sentimental remorse, no sadness of any type as he watched his father's body begin to crumple away, turning to dust sifting down onto the floor. He only felt empowerment.

And enlightenment.

---

"That's good timing, finding the mirror again before the sun goes down."

Link spoke the words as they headed toward the portal they'd entered the Lost Woods through, hearing Mira responding, "Yes, I'd hate to have to search in the dark."

Despite her relief over being able to leave the woods before the sun completely set, Link could hear a slight strain in her voice, and he stopped as they reached the portal, glancing over at her. Reaching up to put his hand on her arm as she came to stop next to him, he asked her, "Are you still worried about what Myriad said?"

"No," she shook her head, looking up to meet his eyes with hers, "just considering what might await us. All of the walking has worn me out a little too. I think we should both sit for a while pretty soon." She smiled at him with the words, and then went to head toward the portal with him when she gasped and her eyes widened. The sight she saw before her in the Chamber of Light they were heading to shocked her.

Link saw it as well, but Mira spoke the words before he could get anything out. "The priests! They're dead!"

He stared into the portal, seeing past his reflection and to the fact that the mute priests were all laying about the room, having been killed, stabbed from what it looked like, and in the center of the room lay Brahm, trying to push himself up, bleeding, but failing to right himself as he apparently wanted to in the process, collapsing back to the floor again.

"Who could've done this?"

Link asked the question, heading with Mira to the portal in order to go assist Brahm, when he suddenly stopped in his movements. Mira, almost bumping into him, looked up with narrowed brows.

"What is it?"

Link stepped back slowly, but his reflection didn't move, and when she looked to see his reflection, she noticed what had stopped Link from moving. In the mirror, his eyes had turned red, and Link backed away slowly, watching as the reflection just stood there and smirked at him.

"What?" Mira asked in confusion.

The reflection finally moved, taking a step forward and through the mirror. As the portal rippled across him, his colors changed completely. Where there had been a green jerkin before, it was now black, and his blonde hair turned stark white.

"What...is this?" Mira drew out, staring between the two Links facing one another now.

"Just stay back, Mira," Link told her, reaching for his sword quickly without even thinking about it. When he did, the dark version of himself just smirked menacingly and grabbed his own weapon, mirroring Link's speed, drawing the blade up in and arc, a complete replica of the Master Sword itself in his hands.

Moving in, their blades met with a loud metal ping, and their eyes locked on one another's, Link's determined, his dark mirror's angry and full of hate. They held their poses for only a moment before Dark Link pushed with more strength than Link knew he could muster himself, fueled by evil powers, and knocked his benevolent half's sword backwards before drawing up his fist and slamming it into Link's jaw.

Reeling backwards, Link fell onto his side, and his dark half took off, running toward the trees and leaping into them and out of sight. It happened so quickly, Mira didn't have much time to respond to any of it, and watching the shadowy incarnation flee the area quickly, she went over to Link and knelt down, helping him to sit up.

"Are you alright?" As she asked the question, she noticed a trail of blood on the corner of his lips, her brows furrowing as she gently touched his jaw.

"Yeah," he told her in response, fingering his jaw tentatively. He wasn't completely oblivious to her own touch either, somehow finding it to be more pleasant than he thought it should have been. But he didn't have time to consider it for now. Shaking his head off, he asked, "Where did he come from?"

Mira looked up at the mirror, then she glanced to the side. While she helped Link up, she said, "I'm not sure how I know, but something tells me that we just witnessed what the curse on the Temple was. Someone put it there, so that when the chosen one passed through the portal, he would have a dark incarnation to thwart him immediately and stop him from fighting evil."

With the words in mind, Link looked down at his sword, sighing softly. "He even has a replica of this." Shaking his head, he then asked, "Why did he just run away?"

"I don't know, maybe to cause trouble. He looks just like you after all."

Apparently disliking the news severally, his look that of disgust, Link peered back into the portal, then he sheathed his sword and grabbed his hat.

"Mira, we need a fairy."

Seeing his hat in his hands, she knew exactly what he wanted to do, and went with him without question to help him find one. Only moments later, they were inside of the Temple again with Brahm, and Link opened the windsock to let the fairy out. It touched Brahm's skin and began to wash over him in rising spirals, sprinkling it's magic down onto him in order to heal his wounds before he could die. The old man coughed a few times, sitting up with Link and Mira's help, and Mira asked him, "Were you attacked by the dark Link?"

"Y-yes," Brahm nodded. "He appeared not long after you two left. We thought perhaps Link had come back, but he..."

"Just rest Brahm," Link interrupted, "I think I have a good idea of what happened already."

"But," Brahm drew out, looking Link over. He raised his hand and touched the green fabric of the young man's shirt, continuing, "You _did_ come back. You're the one we've been waiting for."

"I know," he replied as if it were nothing, humble to the end over everything. "That's not important though. You need a bed to rest in."

"There are rooms upstairs," came an unfamiliar voice to Link's ears. "I arrived not long after the priests were killed, and went to find the dark half the mirror produced at Brahm's request to stop him from killing the others, distract him. Thankfully I succeeded."

Looking up to see Impa, Mira sighed in relief, glad to hear the others had in the Temple had been saved. But considering Impa had yet to meet Link face to face and vice versa, she introduced them. "Link, this is Impa."

"Hello, Link," Impa replied, stepping over to them as they helped the older man to his feet.

Link watched Impa in return, white hair in a bun at the nape of her neck with bangs framing her crown, an outfit of sleek black and dark blue armor with gold trim, and the symbol of the people she descended from crossing her chest. Once Brahm had been helped up, Link let go of him when the man informed him that he would be fine. Then he turned his attention back to Impa. "Mira's told me about you," Link replied. "You've been around all along, since we were kids, watching us, haven't you?"

"Yes," Impa nodded, "but I myself was being watched. I couldn't be anywhere near you both for the first part of your lives, otherwise you would have fallen into Hyrule's hands." After explaining it, Impa added, "I realized on the way here that the Myriad Stones are working again. So I knew you'd completed your task. Did she tell you anything else?"

"Just to head to Roshala," Mira replied, "because the next piece of our quest lay there."

"Good, then you should do so with haste." Impa looked to the doors of the room and then went on, "Soldiers of Hyrule may be heading this way because of the stones returning to life, and don't doubt that the Dark Link will play being you in order to draw them straight to you. I'll stay behind and watch over the Temple and its inhabitants." After she'd promised them that, she looked at Link and informed him, "Your horse is faithfully awaiting you outside. So go now and get the princess away from here."

Feeling a new set of responsibilities settling in on him, Link agreed and he reached for Mira's hand, but she held it up to stop him and reached for Impa to hug her.

Impa gave her a brief embrace, but more worried about her being caught, she let go and told her, "Just go with speed. We'll meet again soon."

"Okay," Mira whispered, letting Link take her wrist this time, and she turned to go with him quickly. As they left together, Impa and Brahm watched them both heading through the door.

With a sigh, Brahm drew out, "Finally, Myriad has awakened and our future Queen has begun to find her way with the Savior of Hyrule."

"Yes," Impa agreed. "Finally. And now the true battle begins."


	16. First Quest

_Chapter 15 - First Quest_

Outside of the Temple, Epona whinnied softly when Link moved down the steps toward her quickly, Mira just behind him, her hand still in his. Turning around at Epona's side, he helped Mira mount the horse, then swung himself up and behind her, tugging Epona's reigns so she'd face the other way before he goaded her off into a slow gallop down the path. Once he'd reached the end, he pulled her reigns to a stop just incase, since the end of the path was less forested, they were spotted by soldiers that could have been incoming.

Looking out into the distance, the both of them could see the shadowy figures of horses riding toward the Temple. The dying light of day, nearly completely gone now, gave them just enough light to see them, and Link turned his head to look for a separate path to take.

"That way," Mira pointed, seeing a trail that lead into a field of trees which wouldn't allow the soldiers coming to see them leaving, and Link turned to head down it. He rode fairly quickly, and while he did, Mira looked back to see that the soldiers were reaching the path to the Temple now, having not spotted the two of them apparently. But she could only see for a moment before it was out of sight, and then she closed her eyes and covered her face with one of her hands.

This was much harder than she'd thought it would be. She couldn't just run away could she? Leave Impa and Brahm to deal with the evil soldiers she knew all too well the mercilessness of? Reaching down, she squeezed Link's hand to get his attention.

Feeling the squeeze, Link glanced at her, noticing that her head was bowed forward, and he drew Epona to a stop finally, knowing they weren't about to be caught and could afford just a moment to stop. Once they had done so, Link asked her, "What's wrong?"

"We have to go back," she told him, lifting her head. "We can't just leave them to deal with those fiends who claim to be Hyrule soldiers! They could be killed!"

Link shook his head no adamantly, "No, you're not going back. Impa can handle herself, especially if she managed to distract that mirror of me from killing anyone else. We're heading to Roshala."

Once more, Mira argued with him, "You go to Roshala, the fate of Hyrule rests in your hands anyway. It's me they really want for now."

"To _kill_ you, Mira," Link told her on a more forceful voice. "And it's my job to protect you too, not just restore this kingdom. I can't do that alone."

"Link, let me down!"

She'd actually tried to dismount, and Link grabbed her tightly, his arms locking around her waist, keeping her in place. "Mira, calm down! I know it's upsetting, but we have to get out of here. If I have to protect you from yourself too, I'll do it. You're _not _going back there."

Before more could be said, Link urged Epona off into a moderately fast gallop. After all, he knew that once the guards learned that what they sought wasn't at the Temple of Time, they'd start combing the area surrounding it to find them, so they really weren't safe until they'd reached the other side of the field where the mountain roads which would take them to Roshala began.

When Link goaded Epona off, Mira gasped and grabbed his arm and the pommel to steady herself, realizing just how brash she'd been in that moment, as if Epona's sudden movements had snapped her out of it. She immediately felt terrible because of how she'd just acted, and she squeezed her eyes shut, just waiting until they reached the other side so that she could apologize to Link.

It didn't take them long, finally reaching the mountain passes, and coming to a stop near a sign by a few forks in the road, Link pulled on the reigns to get Epona to stop. When his horse settled, he looked down at Mira in that moment and felt her trembling. Somehow he got the feeling he might've been too stern with her perhaps, which made him feel a little sorry, though not for the fact that he'd drug her along despite her wishes.

He said her name softly, "Mira, I'm sorry if I scared you. But I don't want them to catch you. I'd die before I let that happen, knowing what they want with you."

Mira shook her head and looked up finally, wiping her eyes. "No, it's not you. I'm just ashamed of myself. I shouldn't have stopped you for that. I just hate that it's me who's causing all of this fuss. That we have to leave Impa and Brahm back there to deal with it all."

Link, hearing her words, glanced to the side, his face a slight frown. Quietly, under the veil of stars on the now quiet night, with more time to consider everything, he looked himself over, the new clothing he wore, the changes he'd gone through in that day alone. It was a lot to take in, and somehow, glancing at Mira, the sounds of her sniffling the only sound that played for the moment, he knew exactly why she'd acted so brashly a little while ago.

After all, her plight seemed to be harder to take in. Her very identity had been hidden from her, and everyone else. Link wasn't truly royalty, and that, he knew, was something that, saying he was a prince, he'd definitely have to find some way to get used to. Sighing out his breath, he told her so.

"It's not your fault. We've been through a lot today. I think it's all finally starting to settle in, and it's hard to handle, let alone to think that we have to leave our friends behind to save ourselves. It sounds selfish to even think that, but Impa was right. If we'd stayed and tried to fight, and lost you, or had both of us been captured, everything Impa had tried to do for these past seventeen years would have been for nothing. I would've done the same thing in your position. What matters is that you care enough for them to say something about it, instead of letting yourself be pushed around."

As he spoke, a slow smile crept up onto Mira's face. There was that strange ability he had to make her feel better again, and she determinedly made up her mind. Turning where she sat, letting him help her until she was sitting side-saddle, she leaned up and kissed his cheek quickly.

The peck, though slightly brief, yet long enough to really mean something, put a wide eyed look on Link's face, a single brow raised, and though she was blushing, she told him, "You did it again."

"I don't know what I did," he replied, "but I like the results of it."

Biting her lips, trying to hide her smile, she looked down with a soft sigh. "You made me feel better. I think you're right. We're both having to cope with a lot. Just the tale Myriad told us alone is enough to keep me thinking for a good long while. So," she looked back up at him, "I have an idea."

"What's that?"

"Why don't we walk Epona and talk for a little while. If we get too tired to carry on, we'll find a place to stop and rest for a bit. How does that sound?"

Smiling, Link told her, "Okay, that sounds good."

Once they'd dismounted the horse, they headed to the sign, and it gave three different locations, the Temple if Time, the Goron City, and Roshala Village, which was the path down the middle. Heading in that direction, Mira subconsciously took Link's free hand as they walked and spoke about things. As time passed, the conversation traveled, though it didn't tread too far from the happenings of the day. Eventually, Link addressed the topic of identities.

"So what should I call you anyway?"

A star had shot through the sky not long after he'd asked the question. Looking up, spying it along with him, Mira lifted a brow in thought. After a moment, she shrugged, "I don't know. I think Mira though, to keep me out of the spotlight until it becomes official what my true name is?"

"Hmm, good point," Link nodded, turning down the dirt path with her that led into the valley of Death Mountain which would eventually lead them to Roshala Village. "I'd probably call you Mira anyway because I'm so used to it."

"And I probably wouldn't answer to Zelda right away," she smiled, finding humor in the situation. "It will definitely take a little getting used to. But, the more I think about it, the more I feel like I've known this all along, like it was somewhere deep inside of me, the need and will to be this person. I don't know how to explain it besides that."

"I think I know what you mean," Link pointed out to her, "I've felt this way since I realized everything earlier, trying to come to terms with it, but at the same time, I've also felt like I know this is the right way of things."

Looking down, he saw her smiling up at him. The smile was one that said she was both impressed and proud of him, and he squeezed an eye shut and scoffed softly, "Don't look at me like that, Mira."

"Why not?" She grinned, "Embarrassed?"

"No," he refused stubbornly.

"Well, I can't help it," she replied, looking ahead of themselves again. "You look good dressed like that. Very prestigious and capable."

Link grinned, tugging the collar of his tunic out some in a confident fashion as if to show off, and Mira started snickering at him. Walking on a bit farther after their talk led them to a drawbridge settled across a ravine, and Link looked over at Epona to make sure she wasn't spooked by the depth of the crack in the earth.

Mira noticed him doing so, and realized that Epona didn't seem to be backing down, so she looked ahead again and something caught her sights. Narrowing her brows, She could have sworn she saw someone standing there, hiding behind the cranks of the drawbridge, and she said, "Link, someone's over there."

Link looked up to see the person himself, and he stepped on ahead, coming to the edge of the bridge they were going to be crossing. Mira headed toward him and as she did, Link stepped onto the drawbridge. Once he could see the person, he gasped out the words, "It's him!"

Mira could see it was the dark version of Link's self emerged from the mirror in the Temple, and she watched as the dark incarnation grinned and turned around, lifting his leg and kicking his foot into the handle of the drawbridge's controls fairly hard, making the lever spin around swiftly.

The cranks and gears started turning, and the bridge began to fall, the loud hum of the chaos not overshadowing the laughter they heard from the other side. Link turned and grabbed Mira who'd taken a few steps onto the now collapsing structure with him, backing off of it as it tilted downwards and began to fall swiftly. Both of them stumbled due to the unbalancing of the surface on which they were standing, but managed to make it back to the stationary ground before the bridge collapsed completely and without much danger of falling. But they both knew that making them fall hadn't been the point completely.

Helping Mira to stand up straight, Link stared across the newly de-bridged ravine, brows narrowed in annoyance, and he grumbled out, "That little good for nothing..."

Mira looked up at him as he stopped himself with a groan before he could finish his sentence off ,and she sighed out an equally annoyed breath while looking around, unable to locate any controls on the side they were now stranded on. "Now what?" She asked. "Whoever built this bridge should have put controls on both sides! If I ever I take the throne, this is the first thing I'm fixing! You know, you have an annoying dark side too. Maybe if you weren't so nice all of the time and courageous, he wouldn't be so bad."

Link stared at her quietly as she got a little angry, unused to that since she was usually fairly composed, but somehow he liked it, found her fiery side completely amusing, as well as justified in this situation to boot. He shrugged his shoulders to her comment about his dark side though, also knowing she hadn't meant the line about his nicety and courage, and told her, "If I could become evil for a few minutes and get him to be good, so maybe he'd come back and turn the gears up again, I would."

Mira couldn't help a little smirk about his comment, and she turned raised brow up at him. "And let me deal with an evil you until he does? I think I'll pass on that, sir." She smirked playfully and stepped toward the edge of the ravine, judging the distance. "I could cross this gap, but I'm not strong enough to turn the gears by myself. I think even you might need help doing that."

Stepping forward as Epona trotted up behind them, Link asked her, "How can you cross the gap?"

"Do you remember what I said about Impa training me?" When he nodded, she turned to face him and said, "I learned how to teleport over short distances."

It was his turn to look impressed, not that he'd forgotten what she'd done for him earlier in the Lost Woods when he'd been attacked by the Stalfos. If she could teleport, maybe they could both cross the gap, but that would leave Epona behind on the other side. But he had a thought and turned to her.

"If you can teleport us both, maybe we can turn the crank together to let Epona over."

Mira turned her gaze up to him, considering his idea. "I know I can teleport myself, but I don't know about taking another person with me, I've never done that before. If we don't make it completely, we might fall down the ravine."

"I know," he said, deciding not to look down at the deep crevice that would lead them to their doom if they should fall down it, having had enough of tumbling down cliffs for one lifetime. "But I trust you. Maybe you should practice?"

Shaking her head, Mira sighed out her breath, "I can't exert that much magic power. I only have so much, and it takes time to rebuild, especially for teleportation. If we're out here all night waiting for my strength to replenish, we might run the risk of getting robbed. As much as I know that doesn't frighten you, I would rather not take that chance. Not to mention the soldiers might eventually come this way looking for us."

"Well," Link looked back down the road, "then I guess we'll either have to turn and go back the long way around, or try to teleport over."

Taking the long way around Death Mountain and heading back through Kakariko Village would take far too long, Mira considered as she looked at the other side of the ravine, cursing the dark incarnation of Link that had caused this little problem. With a sigh, she made her decision and reached over and took his hand, telling him, "Alright, if you trust me, then I think I can do this. I just need you to hold onto me."

He stepped toward her as a star streaked across the night sky again, the full moon looming in the distance, and did like she'd asked, putting his arms around her sides and back as if to hug her. Mira took a deep breath, preparing herself, and she glanced up at Link, putting her hands against his upper arms. Finally, she asked him, "Are you ready?"

With a nod, Link told her, "Ready," and he watched her closing her eyes. As she did so, he could feel an energy forming up and around him, a blue green light enveloping the both of them before they disappeared completely. Epona was all that was left before just a moment later, on the other side of the ravine, the two reformed and stood near the crank.

Mira's eyes opened when she realized there was solid ground beneath their feet, and she looked down at it, seeing they were completely safe from falling, suddenly smiling brightly with accomplishment. Letting go of Link, she heard him saying, "That trick will come in handy sometime."

"And it wasn't much different," she described as she looked up at him, "I thought you might make things heavier for me, but it felt the same."

Somehow it was nice to see her so pleased with herself, instead of worried as she had been on and off for most of the day. With a nod, Link gave her a smile and headed over to the crank with her, reaching down to grab the handle. As he did so, he grunted with his efforts of pulling the lever up, and seeing it was pretty heavy, Mira knelt down to help him pull it back around again when he almost lost his footing.

A few minutes later, a shrill whistle was let, and Epona began to cross the restored bridge in order to head to them both. Once she got to them, Link took her reigns, patted her nose, and mounted her. With Mira sitting in front of him, they rode into the thick of trees waiting on the other side for them, making their way finally to Roshala Village after riding a good distance.

While they rode, Link considered his darker half, and the fact that the entity would probably cause him a good bit of grief and heartache throughout the duration of his struggles to restore Hyrule. The thought made him grumble slightly, but he was thankful that Mira was with him, and had been able to help fix everything the shadow had done so far.

Myriad had told them they would need to help each other after all. If this instance was any indication, then he could see that Myriad was definitely right.

---

Roshala Village, the sign read, and beneath it in smaller letters, it added the words "Drinks, Swords, and Friendly Faces!"

Somehow, the welcome sign had both Link as well as Mira lifting their brows while they rode into the mountain valley town. Mira was surprised as the sign hadn't been there when she used to live in the village, and she could only wonder who'd come up with it. Even still, seeing the place again did bring back some memories, though mostly they were sad ones.

Fires were burning brightly on torches attached to the sides of buildings, as well as a few road posts, and as they rode through, some people sitting on the front porches of their homes nodded at them as if they weren't strangers at all. Friendly faces, Link thought to himself, and just wondered to himself if the drinks and swords had anything to do with it.

"Hey, pretty lady!"

A man had approached them as they sat on Epona's back trotting down the roadside at a walking pace, and he looked to be a little bit sotted with drink. Link didn't slow to a stop, just continued on at the languid pace as the man headed in beside of them and grinned at them both. "Heeeey!"

Definitely sotted. Mira looked down at him and nodded her head politely, returning his greeting, "Hello, sir."

"Wow," he stopped for a moment, letting them wander on before pointing, "you said hello to me! That's great!" He then stumbled to try and catch up to them again, adding, "I've got some jewelry for sale, I've been trying to get rid of it for a while now. It was my wife's, but...she doesn't need so much jewelry, so I'm getting rid of it for her." Between his words were a few hiccups, and then he continued. "But no one's had any rupees for it. You interested!?"

He hiccuped loudly once again when he finished his words, and Mira cleared her throat slightly with raised brows. Then she asked, "Does your wife know you're selling it?"

"Nah," he waved his hand, "she'd get mad at me, not that she'd notice it was missing when it's gone."

Mira cast a somewhat flat gaze at Link, unsure what to make of the colorful drunk following them now. Link pursed his lips, the same uncertainty lining his own features, and he looked down at the man, saying, "We're both kind of broke right now too. Maybe we'll have something later though. We might be in town for a while."

"Hey, alright! I'm Midus! Just ask for me, everyone in town knows where I live! By the way, some friendly advice, if you want a good room for cheap, go talk to Lyonel, and tell him Midus sent ya!"

Link looked back as the man had stopped walking with him and he asked, "Where is Lyonel at, and who is he?"

"Huh?"

Pulling Epona to a stop finally, turning her a slight bit, he asked his question again a bit louder, and Midus stared at him with a blank look on his face. Finally, he snapped his fingers in remembrance, "Oh yeah, he's probably over by the stables where he lives, since he's a stable master and all. He usually hangs out there in the early evening, playing his flute."

"Thank you, Midus," Mira piped up, "we'll come back to see you when we have more rupees."

"It's cool, pretty lady! You just...," he hiccupped loudly, "you just be good, ya hear!?"

Mira snickered over the way he'd wobbled when he said that, covering her mouth to hide her amusement at his state of being. Link shook his head and took a deep breath, asking as Midus stumbled off, "Do you think we should listen to him?"

"He's drunk, but he seems to be honest too. It wouldn't hurt to check it out. After all, we will need to get a little rest, won't we? We've been going all day without a break."

"Good point. Alright, let's try to find the stables then. You've been here before, haven't you?"

With a nod, Mira told him, "Yes, a good few times actually, but it's changed a bit. If the stables haven't moved though, they're down the road a good ways, turn right, and head down a rocky path. You'll find them easily that way."

"Then let's go," Link replied, heading down the way she'd suggested. As he went, and came across a tavern, Link saw a few girls sitting outside of it, smiling in his direction, and he wasn't unused to the treatment whenever he went traveling, but he couldn't help trying to divert his attention from them. One of them, when he saw her before he'd turned his head, waved her hand with a little 'Hi' spoken to him, and in hearing the word, Mira looked to see who was trying to get their attention.

Then she saw the flock of girls and blinked a few times somewhat blankly. "Well," she started, "I think the friendliness here might be a little too friendly," she grinned at Link, "I told you that outfit looked good."

The young man had a somewhat flat expression as if slightly annoyed, and Mira snickered after she'd teased him about it, but her own thoughts centered for several moments on just how good he _did_ look in the outfit. She tried not to think about it in fact, but it was there nonetheless. Why'd he have to be so handsome? With a soft sigh, Mira realized she'd trapped herself just as much as she'd trapped him with the teasing, and she thought better of doing the same thing twice in the future. Hopefully, he wouldn't notice the blush plastered across her cheeks from thinking the thoughts of him she just had.

Her hopes didn't seem to agree with her though. "Do I see a blush?" Link asked as she'd turned her face away from him, leaning in playfully to lift a strand of her hair to the side.

"No," she refused, just as stubbornly as he had earlier over being embarrassed about how nice she'd thought he'd looked in his new outfit, tugging her hair out of his hand.

"Uh huh," he drew out disbelievingly, "have it your way. For now," he grinned.

Mira turned a narrowed gaze up at him, and then said, "I think I'll ride behind you from now on."

She heard his snickering as they traveled down the road, eventually turning onto the rocky road she'd spoken of before, and was thankful when she could see the stables ahead of them. They seemed to be somewhat remote from the rest of the village, as well as the last structure located on the road they were traveling on.

Pointing them out, Link tapped his heels into Epona's sides to get her to go a bit faster, reaching the structures of a stable on one side of the road, complete with a horse arena, and what looked to be a home on the other side across the street. As they arrived, they could both hear the soft tunes of a flute playing. The song sounded noble somehow, with a distinction that would have been recognizable if you heard it more than once, but Link and Mira had never heard the sounds before, so they had no clue what the tune could have been called.

Climbing off of his horse, Mira following him, Link walked on ahead and slowly rounded the corner of the stables to find the sound growing louder, spotting the man playing the instrument sitting on a tree stump next to the building, his back facing them both with a hood covering his head from view. Looking back at Mira as she rounded the corner with him, he finally asked, "Pardon me, are you Lyonel?"

The flute stopped playing when the man heard the voice. Lowering it, he sighed out a soft breath of impatience and, without looking at them, he told them both, "If you need a horse, come back in the morning. Until then, you can stay at the Farore Inn, they're cheap but nice, it'll save you some rupees."

Almost immediately, the flute began to play again. When it did, Link shrugged his shoulders, deciding they'd gotten what they needed out of the man. Looking over at Mira to see what she thought, she just gave him an indifferent look and said to him softly, "I guess the greeting sign wasn't completely right."

"Maybe not." Link replied, "But that's alright. We'll rest for now and find out what Myriad sent us here for tomorrow."

As they turned to walk away from the man and leave him to his fairly pretty tune, the flute stopped playing mid song. Hearing this, they both stopped and turned to look back. The man, still sitting with his back facing them, asked, "Did you say Myriad?"

Mira and Link exchanged a look, and Link nodded his head, "Yes, I said Myriad, why? Do you know of her?"

He was silent for a moment, but then he nodded his hooded head, and he stood and turned around slowly, facing them. The hood hid his hair down to his eyebrows, but his blue eyes were visible, and fairly vivid, a scar across the side of his face under his left eye. He appeared to be nice looking despite that however, a slender, tall build that looked, from what they could see, sturdy, as if he'd done his fair share of hard work in his life. He looked the two of them over, one after the other, and finally settled his gaze on Link. The sword on his back in specific.

Noticing this, Link asked him, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, it's fine," came the man's soft voice again. "Myriad is a name I haven't heard in a long time, seventeen years almost. I can see that you've awoken her however."

Link stepped toward the man slowly, but Lyonel held his hand up to stop him. Doing so when he saw the man's hand silently telling him to halt, Lyonel asked him, "What did she send you here for, Hero of Legend?"

Link shook his head, "She didn't say in specific, just that I need to start my journey here, that the first piece waited for me in Roshala. My name is Link, and this is Mira, my best friend."

Lyonel nodded his head, turning to look at Mira and giving her a low made bow of respect, as if perhaps he might've known a little more than the name Mira. The movement made Mira feel somehow odd, but she didn't say anything of it. Standing back up straight again, Lyonel lifted his hand and walked past them, saying as he went, "Follow me. You can stay here for the night, and get something to eat. Your horse should rest comfortably anyway, instead of outside on the road all night long."

Watching him walk past, Mira looked at Link in some slight confusion over his sudden change of heart, then glanced back and then said, "Thank you, sir. We're very appreciative."

"It's not a problem." Lyonel added the words softly as they followed him into a home that was located across the road from the stables, and though he was being friendly, there still seemed to be some coldness coming from him that neither of the two younger people could place. But his kindness was welcome, and they went to do as he said, taking Epona to settle her in the stables so that she could have somewhere comfortable to sleep, and in doing so, realized that Lyonel had some well breed horses on his hands.

"These horses almost look fit for royalty," Link commented as he had a glance at some of them.

"They do," Mira replied, glancing over at Link. "Do you think he's wary of us? He acts kind of cold in a way, strange somehow."

"Well, if he is," Link said, turning to head out of the stables with her and across the street to where Lyonel waited for them outside of his house, "then there's only one way to find out."


	17. Gift

_Chapter 16 - Gift_

After a short while, Link and Mira found themselves in Lyonel's home, sitting at the dinner table, eating a stew Lyonel had cooked up himself earlier. It had a good bit of both meat and vegetables in it, and it the scent was fairly hearty and robust. They both complimented him on how good it smelled, and also immediately felt their stomach's rumbling with hunger in response.

Mira got curious over Lyonel's hood which he'd opted to continue to wear in the house, and while they were eating, she asked him, "If it's not too impolite, can I ask why you're wearing your hood in the house?"

She could see his lips draw up into a slight smile, and the two awaited his answer. "Many years ago," he started, "I was wounded in a fight. It left a scar over my brow and the my face, and it disfigured my ear, so I hide it from peoples eyes at all costs. I'm not the type who likes to be stared at by many people, or stand out in a crowd."

"I see," Mira nodded, "I'm sorry to hear that." Morbid curiosity perhaps led her to wonder exactly what had happened during that battle, but she wouldn't ask. After all, that was really none of her business, and with the kindness he was showing to them both, she wasn't going to just step all over it rudely. Asking why he'd worn his hood constantly was enough prying after all.

Link had taken another bite of the stew as they'd spoken, chewing and swallowing before he asked in order to change the subject since he, like Mira, didn't want to pry into the matter they'd just brought up, "So, are you married?"

"I was once," Lyonel nodded his head, "a long time ago. I guess I still am, but she's...no longer with us."

Link cringed, feeling as if he'd stuck his foot in his mouth and asked the same kind of question Mira had, one that shouldn't have been pried into. "Sorry," he said quickly, "I didn't mean to bring up a painful memory."

"No, it's alright," Lyonel replied with a slight wave of his hand, "it's been a long time. We were very happy and the only bad memory I have is of losing her."

"That's sweet," Mira smiled, glad that Lyonel, despite his seemingly aloof mannerisms, didn't mind them asking the questions they were asking. "I like that people can look at things that way after a time of mourning their loved ones to realize there's still something left for them. But, I am curious about something else."

Lyonel had pulled out a long stemmed pipe and a small bag from which he was currently packing leaves to be smoked into the hole at the tip when she told him that, prompting him to ask casually as if he didn't mind the questions one bit, "What's that, my lady?"

"Well," Mira started, setting her spoon down in her bowl. "You were ready to just turn us away until we mentioned the name Myriad. So I was just wondering what made you change your mind? Did you know her rather than just _of_ her?"

"Myriad," Lyonel started, sitting back in his seat as he clutched his pipe between his teeth and lit a match, his downcast face lighting up for a brief moment while smoke wafted through the air. Then he finally continued. "As I'm sure you know, she was a powerful Sage of Light. The Dark Mage, Dragmire, was her opposite in this world. Light and dark, good and evil. I'm sure you also know of how she was sealed inside of the Sacred Realm by the Triforce of Power against her will, until such a time as Hyrule had been completely overthrown without her interference."

Link and Mira both remembered her saying as much. Dragmire had done so in retribution for her trickery, and they both nodded that they knew about it. Lyonel continued on once they had, "What Dragmire didn't realize when he did so was that he had also sealed away her powers with her, and without her powers, granted by the Sacred Realm itself, he and his son would never completely rule over everything as they wished to. So she reinforced the seal he placed upon her inside of the Sacred Realm, and put herself into a deep slumber only to awaken once the Hero returned and took up the sword for the new fight so that she might aide him in his struggles."

Lyonel placed his hand onto the table top and sighed as he thought about it all, pulling his pipe from his mouth after taking a puff of the smoke, adding, "I knew her well. She was bound by her duty to the goddesses because of the great responsibilities she had through the power she possessed. She made the greatest sacrifice of all, which was leaving everyone she loved behind for their own chance of survival. Myriad gave everything for us, so that we could have a chance of living and fighting this evil off, and I would do anything to both serve her and more importantly, the true King and Queen of Hyrule, and their daughter."

Link listened carefully, glancing at the top of the table as he did so, considering it all. The picture was falling together slowly but surely, and he was coming to realize more and more over time the gravity and depth of the situation he was in. Mira realized this as well, realized that there were probably others scattered throughout Hyrule who knew the truth of things as Lyonel did, but didn't have the power yet to stand up for what they believed in. She only hoped she could do them all justice some day soon.

As they thought, Link wanted more information on certain issues, and he looked back up at the man and asked, "Is Dragmire still alive?"

"If he is, he's a shell of the man he used to be," Lyonel told him. "Many of us resisted his magic, some of us having relics passed on from Myriad to protect us since her magic was the only strong enough to thwart his. We resisted him over time and eventually broke the King and Queen's mind free of the spell he had placed upon them both. When this happened, Dragmire of course struck back in battle, but was defeated. However, he passed everything on to his son. So if Dragmire is still alive, it is only because Ganondorf kept him as such."

"Then the real fight lay with Ganondorf," Link spoke, "right?"

"He and his armies of evil, yes. Myriad's awakening would not have gone unnoticed, so I'm sure they've already been dispatched, silently, to await you at every turn and corner. Don't let your guard down, even for a moment."

Mira looked over at Link when Lyonel told him this, and then she glanced down, musing aloud, "You must have been very close to the Royal family to know all of this, served in the Palace even."

"I was, and I did," Lyonel told her. "I knew the King and Queen very well. It was my duty to protect their family. I did so by hiding the Princess Zelda away so she wouldn't be killed. I've never told anyone about this, but knowing who you two are, the babies I put into Impa's care so long ago, I know you won't tell the wrong people."

Mira couldn't help her surprised stare at him. "You're the one who took us to Impa?"

Link, just as surprised and intrigued, added, "Who told you to take us?" He couldn't help it, hoping that maybe, since Myriad had told him he would find out more of his parents in Roshala, Lyonel was the one who would be able to give him that information.

Holding his pipe between his fingers, Lyonel looked over from Mira to Link. Somehow, he seemed to be sizing the young man up, as if trying to ascertain whether or not Link was ready to hear that story or not. But finally, Lyonel gave Link an answer.

"Very sad parents told me to. Your father in specific. He'd overheard words spoken by Dragmire. The words spoken were that Zelda was to be taken from the Palace and killed, never to be found again. Zelda wasn't the only baby in the palace at that time however, and you were the other. The danger to you was that you were to be used as leverage to flush Myriad out of hiding. Dragmire knew none of us would talk, so he wanted to use an innocent child, threaten to kill him, in order to make her reveal herself since he wanted her to possess the Triforce for him so badly, believing she was pure enough to keep all three of the pieces at once, and if not, then at least he could have two of them."

He grew quiet after those words for a few moments, then looked down, "This aside, your father also wanted Zelda to have someone close to her so she wouldn't be alone. Someone who could grow to help her when she needed it. He handed you both to me, and told me we needed to give the girl a differing name. So I decided on Mira, the name of a sister I once had who was strong and very sweet." Lyonel sighed, shaking his head, "The hardest thing I've ever had to do as a Royal Guard was take you both to be placed into Impa's care. What few of us are left will never forget that night."

Mira quietly considered this, and without wishing to allow Lyonel the task of cleaning up the mess they'd made from eating, she stood to collect the empty bowls so that they could be placed into a tin to be washed later while she thought this over. Sporadically, she cast glances in Link's direction to see him also deep in thought over everything, just hoping he was alright. After all, much of this was beginning to look as if his parents could have been killed already. Mira didn't want to outright ask this however, so she decided on a change of pace in subject slightly.

Once she was done putting the dishes up, and started to head back to her seat at the table, she asked, "When was the truth of Ganondorf uncovered?"

Lyonel waited until she was settled again before he answered her. "Ganondorf was eight years old when these lies were found out, so my guess is that you two were six or seven at the time. The night Dragmire's deceit was uncovered wasn't long after he'd obtained the Triforce of Power. The King and Queen had no intentions of disregarding Ganondorf as he was only a child when he'd been switched with their real child, and had no hand in the foul play himself. But they did charge Dragmire with his falsifications."

"It was then that Dragmire used the Triforce against them both, as well as the rest of us. As the battle waged, Ganondorf stood idly by as if unsure of the path he should take. However, under years of Dragmire's influence, since the evil mage had a hand in raising the boy, Ganondorf decided finally, near the end of the fight, to assist his true father, thinking that the King and Queen would cast him out once it was over with, since he wasn't actually their son."

Lyonel got quiet following his story. His remaining few words came out on a tone that said he might have been a bit sad due to events of the past as they'd played out the way they had. "Most of us true to King Hadinaru and Queen Nissandra became fugitives that night, no longer able to stay within the walls of the Palace. Even though Dragmire had been done in, he'd already amassed a good number of men loyal to his son, and himself, rather than their true monarchs. They would have had us put to death, so we've been hiding in various places across Hyrule, unable to speak out, just waiting for Myriad to awaken, the sign that salvation could be close at hand. I failed both of your parents," he looked at the two of them, "and for that, I am ever so sorry."

Lyonel wasn't prone to tears, but Link and Mira both witnessed tear drops hitting the surface of the table from his half veiled face. Mira, frowning, could feel her own eyes starting to tear up, and Lyonel was somewhat surprised when he saw Mira's hand moving to cover his own sympathetically. He glanced up to see her face, shaking her head no at him. "Don't be sorry. If you hadn't helped Link and myself to begin with, we might not even be here to know this now, much less do anything about it. You haven't failed, Lyonel, and I'm _honored_ to finally meet you. You saved our lives. Now there's still a chance to save this kingdom."

Link agreed completely, the look on his face saying as much, but there was vast disappointment there in his eyes even as he nodded his head that said he wasn't completely happy at that moment in time. He didn't speak just yet though, listening as Mira went on.

"I won't forget you, or anyone else. When this is all over, I'll find some way to repay you for what you've done for us."

Lyonel nodded, "Thank you, my lady, but nothing is owed. I only did my duty. Still, there's one other thing that I've yet to show you both. It's something for you, Link. If you'll excuse me for a moment, I'll go get it."

Mira nodded, watching the man stand up from the table to go find whatever it was he had, and she looked over at Link and tilted her head while he stared into the distance seemingly. "Is everything alright, Link?"

Hearing his name spoken, he took a breath in through his nose and then out of his mouth. Nodding, he replied, "Just disappointed I guess, and fairly angry. I'd always hoped they might still be alive somewhere, but now I can see that I probably won't have the chance to meet them."

Frowning, Mira took Link's hand, folding her fingers around it. He watched her make the gesture of silent comfort and looked up at her face, her violet blues warm and sympathetic, a look he didn't want to turn from, and almost felt he couldn't, as if entranced by them, lost to everything else, which was, of course, a very good feeling considering his sorrow in those few moments, now completely melted away by her lovely face.

She offered him a little reassuring smile that also made him forget his troubles, returning the smile himself. Why was he trying to contain himself when it came to his attraction to her again? He swore he couldn't remember in that moment for the life of him, not with her smiling at him like that.

It was at that time that Lyonel walked back into the room carrying a small satchel, one which he sat down quietly onto the table, breaking the both of them out of their stares. Turning their heads to look at him, watching as he rummaged through the contents quietly, their hands slowly broke apart for the moment. Finally, he pulled out what looked to be an old envelope, and he stepped toward Link and sat it down before him.

"This was from your mother. She wrote it to be given to you after you were old enough to understand it, if one of the remaining of us were to ever find you again. I managed to keep it safe, and I think now is the best time for that."

Link stared at the envelope for a moment, the once white paper now tanned a bit from age, and he felt almost as if he couldn't get his fingers to work properly. Finally, however, he reached out for it, and opened the seal it had been closed with. Lyonel sat down quietly to let Link read over the contents, while Mira waited patiently as well, not bothering yet to ask him what it said since it was a personal letter.

The words on the paper were fairly legible, and Link started at the beginning.

_My Only Son,_

_As I write this letter, you are settled safely on my arm, fast asleep. I fear, however, that by the time I am done, you will be taken from this place. Your father has learned of evils plotted against you, as well as the newborn princess Zelda, and I now have to let you go. There is plot against you in this place that keeps me from having you for myself with your father. It isn't safe for you here, and that I would do anything to protect you, I now have to let you go._

_I wanted to write you a note in the hopes that it will one day fall into your hands to tell you what I was never able to - I love you very much._

_It is the hardest thing for me to do, and I'm not certain I can. Watching you asleep now, I wish you could see yourself. So tiny and helpless. But this helplessness is the very reason I cannot fail in releasing you._

_I hope that one day we will be reunited, and in case we aren't, this letter will be a constant reminder to you that I never meant for any of this to happen. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, and that this letter finds you well. Please don't doubt yourself. I can look at you and see there is strength within you to pull through troubling times. Please use that to keep yourself safe where I am sadly unable to._

_Sincerely_

_Your Loving Mother_

He balled his right fist up on the table top as he read the words, twice. Dragmire, he thought to himself, and now Ganondorf. Now Link knew for certain that his role was completely justified. He would not stop until his parents had been brought justice.

Setting the letter back down onto the desk, a line of tears had fallen down one cheek. He had to make sure he pulled through like his mother had asked of him. Not just for the people of Hyrule now, and not even just for Mira, his adoptive sibling whom was actually the Princess Zelda, but for them too, his parents whom actually did love him, and he said so aloud.

"Now I have a third reason to undo what has been done."

Turning, he stood up and left the table. Mira gasped at the sudden movement, watching him leave the room, the front door opening and shutting. With a sigh, she reached for the letter he'd left there and picked it up, looking the words over for herself. As she read, she heard Lyonel telling her, "Go follow him. Make sure he's alright. You're the only one who can soothe him. I'll go ready rooms for you two to sleep in while you do this."

Looking back over at the kind man once she was done taking in the words on the note, Mira nodded her head, telling him, "Thank you, Lyonel. I will try my best," before she stood up, putting the letter back into the envelope carefully, and went to follow Link where he'd gone, which was outside.

Stepping down the front steps of the house, Link watched the full moon, the same moon he'd seen a million nights now, wondering about everything in his past he was unsure of, and he tilted his head forward. Mira watched him from the screen door silently for a moment, his sword and shield still in place on his back, and she finally pushed open the screen door and stepped outside. Hearing the door, Link glanced back at her for a brief moment, and then he looked ahead again.

"I'm sorry I left like that. I was just angry."

"I know," she replied, walking to the edge of the porch, stepping down behind him, "but you can talk to me if you want to, or I can do all of the talking."

Link stayed quiet, his head still bowed forward, and when he didn't say anything, Mira put her hands on his shoulders and went on, "You have every right to be angry, and so do I. They stole everything from us before we could even have it, before we could even live. I don't think you're wrong for being so mad at all, if that's what you're thinking."

Mira turned to walk around his side, then stand before him, and she reached for his hand, taking one of them in her own. Link watched her as she lifted her other hand to his face to raise his chin to look down at her, and she told him softly, "When we manage to defeat Ganondorf, we'll both be able to learn all about our parents from the people who knew them."

Link continued to stare at her face in that moment. Bathed in moonlight like it was, she looked so sweet and beautiful. All of his life, that face had been on the tip of his brain when he couldn't remember her, and now that he could, sometimes he didn't think he could get rid of it. She seemed to be constantly rattling around in his head no matter what he was thinking about, and looking at her now, he wanted to lean into her and hug her tightly against himself.

He wanted to kiss her.

The realization made him forget his anger for a moment, just as her sympathy and reassuring smile had made him forget his sorrows at the dinner table, and he reached for her hand on his chin and took it in his own, nodding his head. Mira, he knew as his childhood friend, his sister even, but in this moment, in the way she carried herself and spoke to him of things to come with such an adept intuition, he could see the Royalty she was born into, the princess she was born as, the name Zelda being foremost on his mind instead of Mira somehow.

Even still, he called her Mira, unable to help himself, "Mira, all I really want right now is justice. You're right, we'll learn more than we'd hoped for. And I want to see you returned to your proper place in Hyrule, taking up that life you had stolen from you."

The way he said that somehow tore through Mira's heart, and she wasn't sure why. For an instance, Link could see the conflict in her eyes, and he shook his head, "What's wrong?"

She didn't want to lose him. If she became the Princess of Hyrule, she felt scared that she might somehow. It was a troubling feeling, and she was also confused by it. "I'm not interested, and I know I should be," she told him. "If we hadn't grown up with Alma the way we did, we might not be the friends we are now. If I'm Zelda, then I can't be Mira anymore, and that scares me."

Link figured out exactly what she was saying, and he shook his head, pulling her closer into a hug. "Don't be scared. Remember what I said? I don't care who you are, we're always going to be friends."

Mira hugged him back tightly, her eyes closed, feeling safe and comfortable where she was. She knew he was right, he'd said it more than once, and she was just having a slight bit of trouble still. But his strength added to her own somehow, and she knew everything would be alright. As long as he were around.

From inside of the house, Lyonel watched them hug, and he couldn't help a small smile. With all that he knew the two had to face, it was nice to see them so close. Looking down into his hand at the flute he had, he thought about where he'd gotten it, and he smirked as he turned and walked up the stairs. They would come in when they were ready to, and he wasn't going to interfere.

Not when they needed to be alone.

---

In the morning, the town was bustling with the work to be done. It was a nice day outside, and Link heard roosters outside of his window when he woke up, squeezing one of his eyes shut as he looked outside, lifting his curtain back a bit to do so. Damned chickens, he grumbled in his head. Good for nothing except a meal. With a sigh, he pushed his legs from the bed, and stood up, stretching his arms out from his sides and rolling his neck around before brushing his fingers through his hair to get it to lay right.

Grabbing his white shirt and green tunic from hanging on the edge of the bed where he'd put them the night before, he stood in front of the mirror for a moment and looked at himself. Though he wasn't narcissistic, he couldn't help but smirk, flexing an arm in the mirror for a moment with a cocky little grin on his face. After all, he wasn't a bad catch at all, he thought with a little smirk.

The door behind him cracked open slightly, Mira knowing that, just as when he was a child, Link still liked to sleep in, and she knocked asking, "Link? Are you awake?"

Link jumped a bit, slightly startled, and he dropped his shirts, replying, "Yeah, I'm up Mira. Can't sleep with that crow squawking."

Mira snickered at Link's immense dislike for chickens, reaching for the knob on his door so she could enter his room. She was carrying a tray of food with her, and as she stepped inside, she told him, "It's a rooster, Link, not a crow."

"Same difference," he grumbled out, and reached to put his white shirt on when Mira looked over at him, stopping in her tracks.

She'd had no idea he'd been shirtless, and she got a very healthy glimpse of his chest and upper arms as he worked the sleeves onto them before she spun around and hid her blushing face. She knew Link wasn't scrawny, but she didn't know he was that defined just from looking at the shirts he wore. She felt completely embarrassed now, though a shirtless man wasn't exactly something that would normally bother her.

It was _who_ the man happened to be that had her heart fluttering a good bit.

But, she considered, maybe she would have known he'd decided to sleep shirtless beforehand if she'd come to his room the night before when she'd awoken from that strange, and even somewhat distressing dream. It was a strange one, about her parents calling her name from the Palace, trying to get her to come and save them, and save the kingdom as well. But she'd simply gone back to sleep instead of going to Link's room as her initial urges caused her to want to.

Tugging the shirt down and over his head, Link glanced over to see that Mira had turned away from him, and he lifted his brows, "What's wrong, Mira?"

"Oh, nothing," she rushed out, "just looking for a place to set the tray." Spotting one, she moved over to it, and asked on the way there, "Why didn't you tell me you weren't decent?"

Link couldn't help but be a little confused, glancing to the side and then at himself as she set the tray on a chest at the end of the bed in the room, suggesting to her, "Because I was?"

Mira cleared her throat and risked a look back, seeing that his shirt and tunic were properly in place now, and she shook her head at him. "You weren't fully dressed."

"Well, I did grow up in the desert. I guess I didn't think shirtless was too indecent." Then he smirked at her and added, "You were embarrassed."

With a sigh of breath, Mira rolled her eyes, though she was smirking slightly, and she waved her arm at the food sitting on the tray, changing the subject completely. "I made you something to eat. Lyonel told me to feel free to make us both a meal, so I did."

"Breakfast in bed, huh?" Link chuckled, walking toward her and the tray. "Why the royal treatment, your highness?"

"Don't pick at me," she grumbled, "I knew you might have felt bad because of last night, so I thought I'd treat you. Don't get used to it."

Link couldn't help his grin down at her, seeing that she'd tied the top of her hair back behind her head instead of putting it back into a braid as it'd been in the day before, and it looked very nice somehow, strands of hair hanging before her pointed ears framing her face just right. He considered this as he took a plate from the tray, eggs and bacon settled on top of it. Mira watched him and she lifted her hand a bit anxiously, "I remembered that being your favorite, right?"

Nodding, Link took a piece of the bacon and stuck it into his mouth, telling her, "I haven't had any since we were little. There's not too many pigs in the dessert."

"What about chickens?"

The playfully asked question made Link smirk, and his reply was simple. "Why do you think I _really_ lived there for ten years?"

"You're terrible!," she exclaimed as she swatted at his arm. Smiling though, she took her own plate, looking around the room. Seeing a chair, she pulled it up to sit in while she let him sit down on the bed. Chewing her bite of food, the both of them eating in silence for a few minutes, she thought over the reason they'd come to Roshala to begin with, and asked him, "What do you think Myriad wanted us to come here for anyway?"

"Maybe to find Lyonel. She told us we'd find more answers as we went along."

"Hmm," Mira drew out, "she just seemed to be speaking of an item in particular it sounded like. Well, I suppose we'll find it if we're meant to. In the meantime, we should also visit the store and get some supplies, don't you think?"

Link nodded, eating more of the eggs on his plate, and after he swallowed, he asked, "Is Lyonel here?"

"No, he left for the village to pick up a few things. But he should be back soon."

Finishing off his meal, Link set his plate to the side and gave her a nod, pushing himself up. "You know, it might be a good idea to ask him what Myriad had told us to come and find. After all, if you're right, we can't leave here empty handed."

Knowing what he meant, Mira set her own food onto the tray, feeling as if she'd had her share, and she stood to lift the tray up, telling him as she walked to the door of the room, "Meet me downstairs. I'm going to clean up and we can go to the village to find him and ask."

Having buckled his chest strap after putting on his chainmail and jerkin, Link nodded to let her know he'd heard her, grabbing his shield to set it onto his back with his sword when he considered stopping by one of the weapons shops in town to see if they had any decent bows. While thinking on this, he'd looked down at the dresser to see the envelope containing the letter from his mother which he'd brought to his room the night before.

Reaching out, he took the paper and put it into one of the pouches on his belt for safe keeping.

Downstairs, Mira had finished washing the dishes off and drying them, and had tied her belt back around her waist and buckled it when Link came down the steps. Looking over at him, she smiled as they both headed to the front door, letting him push it open for her since he'd reached it first. Once outside, they saw Lyonel with a horse in his front lawn.

The horse was almost completely white, save for the tip of it's nose and the bottoms of its legs around it's hooves, which all faded into black. It's mane and tail were also black in color, and Lyonel was grooming the animal with a brush. He turned when he saw them and lifted his head, saying, "Good morning. Did you two eat?"

"Yes, thank you. That's a lovely animal, by the way," Mira responded as Link stepped down off of the porch. Epona was tethered to the bar at the front of Lyonel's home, and he began to untie her as he patted her nose gently, neglecting to feed her much because she'd eaten already, save for a carrot that Mira handed to him as she passed him because she'd remembered she'd wanted to treat the horse since it had the burden of carrying two people instead of one.

"Thank you," Lyonel replied as they had gone toward Epona, "I've raised him since he was just a colt, his mother died giving birth. I named him Frost because it was a cold morning when he was born. He seemed to get along well with Epona, so I thought he might suit."

Mira, who'd walked to stand before Lyonel as Link had turned Epona to lure her away from the home once the carrot had been eaten, shook her head, "Might suit what?" The confusion was evident on her face.

"Your needs. After all, Epona's a strong horse, but she'll wear down more easily carrying two riders. So I thought to give you Frost."

Her eyes going a bit wide, Mira held up her hands, saying, "Oh no, I can't just take him, especially not if he means so much to you! Thank you though for offering."

"I'm not offering, I'm giving him to you." Lyonel finished brushing Frost and then turned to face her completely. "If you really feel bad about it, you can let him stay with me once all of this is over. Go ahead, Frost is yours now. Besides, it will help you both out, and believe me, you'll need it."

Mira couldn't help her somewhat blank stare, turning her eyes to Link after a moment. Link just smiled and said, "I don't think she's used to just being handed anything. Go ahead, Mira, he's right. Epona needs the help."

Sighing softly, Mira gave Lyonel an earnestly grateful look and she slowly took the reigns, saying, "I really can't just thank you with words." So she stepped forward and hugged him. Lyonel put up his arms as if surprised, but he finally made a small smile and patted her back, allowing her to step away before he bowed his head low and properly to her.

"Anything to help my lady. Might I ask you something though?"

"What's that?"

Once he'd lifted his head from the bow of courtesy he'd made to her, he glanced down at her and asked, "Are you uncomfortable with what you've learned about your true identity?"

Was she uncomfortable being Zelda. She thought about that for a moment, and then shook her head slowly. "I'm not completely sure. At first I was, definitely, but hearing more and more about my family, I'm beginning to feel fairly proud to know where and who I came from, and know who and what I am really supposed to be."

The response made Lyonel smile. He was glad to hear that she was starting to feel pride over her roots, and he told her, "Hopefully one day very soon, Zelda, I'll be able to attend your coronation."

Blinking a few times, this being the first time she'd been called the name outright by anyone save Myriad the day before, Mira felt almost unsure how to respond. But somehow it sounded nice to be called by her birth name, knowing now exactly what it meant, and gave her some type of feeling of absolution she couldn't explain but had never really had, even when Myriad had called her as much.

Impa had never called her Zelda, and it was beginning to become more and more clear why. Impa wanted her to be ready to know the truth first, instead of just forcing it onto her, making her be something she really wasn't. So she nodded her head finally to Lyonel, and told him, "I'd be very happy to have you attend that."

Link stood quietly by Epona's side, a faint smile on his face as he watched while Mira, or Zelda, he considered, looked over at Frost once she'd told Lyonel those words, and rubbed his nose. After all, Link wanted to see her rise up to what she really was more than anyone else.

A Princess, in the truest sense of the word. And he knew she'd be a great one.

As she rubbed her new horses nose somewhat shyly, Lyonel turned to Link and he asked, "So, I suppose you're both ready to depart, hmm?"

"Well," Link replied, somewhat uncertain, looking at Mira with Frost for a moment. Was this what they needed? Unsure if it was information from Lyonel, or maybe the horse he'd given them, Link decided that all was well. Finally nodding, he said, "Yes, I think we found what we came to find."

"You sound a bit uncertain. Why is that?"

Sighing softly, Link shook his head at Lyonel in a bit of the uncertainty the former Royal Guard had just suggested he had, "Myriad said we needed to find something here that would help on our quest. I think we did, you and what you told us, and even Frost."

"Oh, that?" Lyonel actually chuckled softly, looking back at Frost before he shook his head. "No, I think what she meant was this." Turning, he pulled his flute from inside of his cloak, and held it out to Link. "She wanted me to lend this to you, the Hero of Legend, on a loan."

Looking the finely crafted instrument over, Link shook his head slowly, saying, "I don't even know how to play one, Lyonel. How can this help us?"

"Well, it's not as simple as that," Lyonel replied. "But you'll need it, and you'll come to understand the reasoning in time. It's not a typical flute. It's been passed on for generations, enchanted by magic, after all, I never learned how to play one either."

Link looked up to the man's hooded face when he said that, seeming highly confused. "But you were playing it last night," Link reminded him.

"I know," Lyonel nodded his head, looking down at the instrument meaningfully, "because it learned how to play me. Just take it, like I said, you'll find out in time."

"Alright," Link finally nodded in agreement, "I'll make sure to take care of it." Reaching out to take the instrument, he thanked the man for all of the help he'd given them. Lyonel watched him putting it into his pouch for safe keeping before telling them both they were welcome.

Link then turned to mount Epona. Mira had mounted her own horse in the meantime, and both rode to the rocky trail that would lead them back into town.

"Goodbye, Lyonel. We'll be back to see you sometime," Mira promised him.

"I'll look forward to it," he replied too softly for them to hear him while appearing to simply nod his head in agreement and wave his hand, watching as they rode off. His eyes went to Link, taking him in before they closed and he inhaled a deep breath, turning to walk inside of his home again. Even if Link hadn't blamed him, or Zelda, he still had some guilt settled within himself. But hopefully, and maybe it would be once this was all over with, that guilt would finally be alleviated.

While he thought this, the two companions rode their horses back up toward the village, and Link had a slightly confused look on his face that Mira noticed. "What's wrong? That flute confusing you?"

"No," he shook his head, "I just don't get our horses."

"Oh? What about them?"

"Why do I have a girl and you get a boy?"

He heard her soft laughter over his words and he smiled when he looked at her. Returning his glance, she asked, "Would you like to switch?"

"Nah," Link drew out casually, "I think Epona would get jealous."

"She does seem the type," Mira smiled. "But Lyonel was far too kind to just give us this horse. As well as lending you that flute."

"Well, he supports our cause. I don't think it was too far fetched for him to do this for us."

"Maybe you're right." She smiled in thought over the kindness of the man they'd met, hoping that it was an example of good truly being left in the world. "I hope we get to see him again."

With her musings, Link glanced back to the house the man lived in, thinking about everything he'd told them and had done for them both. Nodding his head, he replied to Mira, "Somehow, I think we will."


	18. Mercy

_Chapter 17 - Mercy_

Chickens. Why?

Link walked down one of the sidewalks toward a shop as he watched one of the flightless birds swoop past him on the roadside, it's owner chasing it down. Cringing a slight bit, he wished the guy luck, almost expecting to see a flock of the temperamental birds taking off after the man at any moment, at which time he'd lock himself inside a shop and let fate have its way with the poor citizens of Roshala.

In his mind, Link could feel Mira smacking his arm for the thought in his head if she'd known he'd had it, suddenly grinning over it.

Mira was in a dress shop, and while Link hadn't wanted her to specifically go by herself, it was right across the road from where he was heading. So he wasn't too worried. Besides, when he'd first walked into the boutique, the ladies there had been staring at him, or so he'd felt, and their chatter about the latest styles wasn't exactly his cup of tea. Once they started acting a bit flirtatiously toward him, he decided that wasn't exactly the place he should have been at that point in time.

Besides, he figured if he took care of his own errands while she did hers simultaneously, they could get done and leave a lot more quickly, which would be good since he knew, from living with the Gerudo who were, by fact, skilled at thievery, villages could sometimes lead to trouble when guards were looking for you. So the time saving would work in their favor more than likely.

Stepping to his destination now, the door shutting behind him as he entered it, the etching of a sword crossed by a bow and arrow on the wooden entrance, he started looking at their wares. Several swords lined the walls, but that wasn't what Link was interested in exactly. After all, he had the best sword ever made, what did he want with another? He was interested simply in a bow, and a quiver. After all, that would come in handy he got the feeling, and as he walked inside, the shopkeeper greeted him.

"How do you do, may I help you?"

Looking over the bows they had, he nodded, picking up one he liked. As he did so, the shopkeeper walked over and smiled. "Looking for a bow I see. We have some specials if you're interested. Certain bows come with a free quiver."

The words made Link smirk a bit and nod that he liked the sound of it, stretching the shooting string back a bit, getting a feel for it. Since it was wound too tightly, he turned and placed that particular bow back and found another one. Testing it the same way, he particularly liked the design on the riser and the limbs of the weapon, and realized the tautness of the shooting string was much more to his liking.

Seeing this, the shopkeeper smiled, "That is actually one of those that comes with a free quiver if you're interested. But it's a bit more pricey. Five hundred rupees."

Link cringed over the price a little; though he had it, it would leave him with little else for much spending. After all, while he could make his own arrows, he'd need some to start off with, and he glanced at their prices of arrows, some of which were as high as thirty rupees for a stack of fifteen. When the shopkeeper saw his line of sight directed to the arrows, he waved his hand, "I'll cut you a deal. I'll give you a stack of our best arrows, with the free quiver, to accompany that bow for five hundred and ten rupees."

The deal made Link raise his brows in some slight surprise. Without a word, which he'd been silent the entire time anyway, he set the bow down on the man's business counter, making the shopkeeper grin as he walked over to a batch of arrows and plucked one out, placing it into the free quiver for Link, then walked behind the counter to complete their transaction.

Link pulled out enough rupees from his pouch to pay for the nicely crafted bow, and as he sat them down, and the shopkeeper counted them up, the man asked him, "You don't speak much do you?"

Link lifted a brow in thought, shrugged a shoulder, and was just about to part his lips to speak when a door behind the counter opened and a fatter man walked out into the area. Turning, the shopkeeper smiled at his manager and told him, "I've sold the bow we've marked down twice now."

"Good!," the manager replied, grinning and looking to see the young man who'd just bought it and was tying his new quiver to his chest strap now. Looking the young man over, the manager narrowed his brows, "I'm surprised you didn't add a few of our bombs to the order."

"He doesn't speak I think," the shopkeeper added.

Link wanted to say that he did, but the manager just went on, "Ah well, I figured since he'd been here before, he might want to pick up what he'd decided to try out earlier."

Blinking his eyes, Link asked, "When was I here earlier?"

The shopkeeper gave Link a look of surprise, "So you _can_ speak!"

Link sighed out his breath, slightly annoyed because he hadn't had a chance to tell the shopkeeper as much yet and now the man was all surprised over it. "Of course I do, I was interrupted before." Link then looked at the manager and went on, "But, when was this?"

The manager looked confused over the question, as if the young man he was looking at should have known when he'd been there earlier, and told him, "About half an hour ago? You came in and bought a few bombs, remember?"

Dark Link, he considered, then grabbed the bow in a hurry, not confirming or denying anything, just being quiet once again as he left quickly. Once the door shut, the shopkeeper shrugged and told the manager, "Strange fellow."

Outside, Link had looked down the road to see that Mira was still in the shop, able to spot her through the window of the store, and he was about to turn and go get her when he saw something out of the corner of his eyes. Looking to the right, he noticed the dark version of himself running between two buildings, which was the shop Mira was in and the building next to it, and knowing he couldn't let him get away, even though Mira was still in the shop, he sneered and took off after the evil incarnation of himself before anything could happen.

Making his way through the alley, coming out on the other side, Link looked left, then right, and when he looked right, he heard the crashing sound of glass breaking. No one was around on the road they were currently settled on, but surely enough, Dark Link had just thrown a bomb into one of the buildings, which from the looks of it, was an empty, closed tavern.

An explosion sounded before Link could react, and he put his hands up in front of himself out of reaction and instinct, the blast probably heard for a good few blocks around. Lowering his hands once more, he saw Dark Link standing there grinning at him maliciously. With a scowl on his face, Link went to reach for the bow he'd just bought, figuring this was the best time to use it for the first time, on his opposite half.

Before he could grab it though, Dark Link told him, "Catch," and tossed a bomb toward Link. It flew quickly, and Link caught it out of sheer instinct alone. Once the weapon had settled in Link's hands, he saw that the fuse was lit, his blue eyes widening. Quickly, Link grabbed the fuse and tugged it free of the device before it could explode, casting the sparking string onto the ground. Then he glanced up just in time to see Dark Link retreating.

"Get back here!"

Trying to take off after his evil half, he only got a few steps before people came running around the corner, yelling things such as, "What was that!?"

Link spun around to see the towns people, and they looked at the destruction in the currently closed tavern's walls, then looked at him, spying the bomb in his right hand. Seeing where they were looking, Link glanced down to realize exactly how it looked, and he quickly dropped the bomb and shook his head, waving both of his hands in denial.

The man whom was standing before everyone else pointed at him, "You blew up the tavern!"

"Why did he do that?" Came someone elses voice.

Link had two options, and since running would make him look guilty, he shook his head, "I didn't do it! But I saw the person who did. When he saw me, he tossed a lit bomb at me and ran away. Look down there, that's the string next to your feet. I had to pull it out before it exploded on me!"

The tall, rounded man looked down at the dirt road and saw what was left of the fuse, bending over to pick it up. Lifting it, he looked back at Link and narrowed his brows suspiciously. "If you saw who did it, then what did he look like?"

Great, Link thought. They _would_ ask him that, wouldn't they? It was then that he saw Mira emerging from the crowd of people, moving toward him, a satchel in her hands containing things she'd just recently purchased. She was dressed differently than before, however, a different dress which she'd just purchased, and for a moment, Link wanted to look her over, but he refused himself the chance for now considering he was facing an angry village.

"What happened, Link?"

"He says someone else blew the tavern up and then ran away after throwing a lit bomb at him!" The fat man still holding onto the fuse yelled.

Softly, Link said to Mira, "It wasn't me, it was _him_."

Mira gave Link a slightly wide eyed look, then she turned to the villagers and shook her head, waving her hands to calm them down. "Hold on a moment. I happen to know this man, and he's hardly capable of something like this."

"We found him with a bomb in his hand, lady! That looks really suspicious!"

Calmly, Mira nodded, replying, "I can see why it would." Turning, she found the bomb Link had dropped, then lifted it up, inspecting it. "This one's missing it's fuse."

"Yeah, because I'm holding it," the same man replied, showing it to her.

"So, if I'm not mistaken, the story would be that he threw a bomb into that tavern, then lit another, only to pull the fuse out before you all could arrive."

"Because he knew we were coming," someone else in the crowd yelled.

Mira started shaking her head, "If he knew you were coming, he would have tossed the second bomb into the tavern, so that when you got here, he could act just as surprised as you all are. Or he would have ran just as soon as he'd thrown the first bomb."

Everyone got quiet at that point, thinking on what she'd just said. Another voice called out however, "He bought three bombs from me just a half an hour ago though!"

That made Mira sigh. "What did this person look like?"

"Same clothes, but they were black!"

Mira put this together in her mind, then she asked, "Well, he had two bombs that we know of, right everyone?" Once they nodded, she turned around and told Link, "Would you please empty your pouches."

"Sure," he said, pulling everything that he had in his pouches out. There was nothing there but a few left over rupees, and a vial of the potion that Mira had handed to him before they'd left Lyonel's home, just incase he'd needed it for some reason.

Seeing no more bombs, Mira looked back and asked, "What happened to the third bomb?"

Everyone got quiet in thought, and one person suggested, "It could be on his horse. We saw you two riding one into town last night."

"So, if that's the case, then you have him, half an hour ago, buying three bombs in an outfit of black. Once he leaves your shop, he goes to his horse to put only one of the bombs on his horses satchel, then change his clothing, only to go back to your shop again to buy," she looked at Link to see what was different, "bows and arrows, then come back here. From there, he throws one lit bomb into the tavern, lights the second and diffuses it, only to turn to you and adamantly refuse that he's done anything."

Everyone got quiet once more. Link lifted a brow himself, thinking how the story made absolutely no sense. But Mira got his attention by asking, "What was the person wearing whom you saw?"

"Black," Link replied with a soft sigh, half thinking the villagers might end up believing he was only saying it to look innocent.

"And," Mira started immediately, looking back to the manager of the weapons shop, "when he came back to your store just recently, what happened?"

The manager thought about that, then shook his head, "It _was_ strange. He acted like he couldn't remember being there."

Everyone started chattering then, and Mira looked over, telling them all, "So, if you're right, and he's performed the story I just told you, there will be a bomb on his horse, and a pair of black clothing somewhere. If not, then he's right, and someone resembling him in a black outfit did this. I think the second story is more fitting."

"Hmm," the manager drew out, "you're right. I think we have the wrong guy, folks. I bet he doesn't have any bombs on his horse at all."

Link breathed out a sigh of relief just to have at least one advocate now among everyone accosting him. For an instance, he considered the fact that Mira, or Zelda, had the Triforce of Wisdom, and wondered if that was the reason she came off as being so wise most of the time, not to mention she'd definitely done a number on everyone to calm them down by discussing this rationally.

Before his thoughts could go on much further though, the very first man who'd blame him said, "But someone's going to have to fix that."

"I'll fix it," came a voice from behind everyone, and as Link and Mira turned around, they spotted Lyonel heading up behind them. His voice had silenced every person in the area, and he went on, "I just saw the person who did this a few moments ago, dressing in a black jerkin and hat, leaving the area. He had another bomb on him as well. You should all get back to work, unless you're interested in helping me to fix the damage here. But I assure you, this young man did nothing."

The townspeople started moving on to do as Lyonel suggested, moving on or sticking around to assess the damages done to the tavern while Lyonel looked at the two young Hylians. Mira smiled and was about to thank him when he interrupted her however. "You two need to leave, now. Soldiers are coming, I saw them on my way into town. Go."

"What?," Link asked. "Which way?"

"The north side, take the south route, it will lead you into the mountains and the pass to Kakariko. You haven't much time, they're probably already in Roshala." Lyonel was watching the roads warily as if he himself wasn't interested in running into the soldiers, adding, "You and Zelda be safe. Now hurry."

With a nod, Link took his friend's hand and kept her close as he started moving. Mira turned to go with him, wondering if she'd ever get used to these quick slip-aways, heading to where they'd left their horses tethered on the adjoining road. As they go there, she told him, "These soldiers are becoming frustrating. And I'm going to throttle that shadow of yours when next we see him."

Link couldn't have agreed more, sighing out as he mounted Epona once he'd untied her, "He told me to catch and tossed a lit bomb at me, then left before anyone else could get there. He was setting me up to look bad on purpose, just like Impa said he would. I wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to stall us for the guards."

Both of them turned their horses and got their bearings together. Once they had, Link's brows narrowed as he glanced past his companion and his look became innately concerned. Spying the expression, she turned and looked in that direction to see two soldiers from the palace heading down the dirt street toward them slowly, apparently asking a few townsfolk some questions on the way. The one to the left was a large man in armor though he wasn't wearing a helmet, his head bald, a scar running down the right side of his face across his one white eye.

"Let's go," Link told her, "before they see us."

"With pleasure," she replied as she turned Frost with Epona and went to ride down the road which would lead them out of the village together and onto what would eventually become the mountain pass that headed back to Kakariko Village.

As they began to move, the soldiers behind them looked up, and the man with the scar, whom was their Captain, Arden, tilted his head upon seeing the horses and their riders, more specifically, the sword on the young man's back. His brows narrowed in recognition, and he lifted a hand, the two with him looking over to see the silent command as he drew his arm forward, then took his reigns, beginning to head down the road and in behind both Link and Mira.

Epona and Frost began to gallop across the dirt path as it turned into a downward incline from the mountain valley town, and Link constantly glanced back to see if they were being followed at random. Surely enough, they witnessed the soldiers pursuing them from the village. Link knew he had two options, dismount and fight, or get away, and considering his proximity to the village and the fact that his reputation would already be hanging by a thread due to Dark Link's mischief, he decided that riding for now was the best option.

"We've got company," he called out. Mira didn't have to be told twice, understanding the same circumstances as he did in that they needed to run, and she goaded Frost off into a gallop as Link did to Epona. Like clockwork, the four armored soldiers followed suit, coming down the trail leading away from Roshala, the roads beginning to grow green with grass instead of soil colored, a few trees populating the sides of the roads here and there. Hopefully, perhaps, they might be able to find a place to hide and, at the very least, ambush the guards if escape wasn't possible.

Continuing on, glancing back once and again, they could see that the bald man with the scar on his face was ahead of the others, save one which was keeping his pace with him. Looking over at Link, then ahead again, Mira took in her breath and closed her eyes for only a moment. She could feel the magic brewing inside of her, which she would use to help them get away from the soldiers more quickly now, and Link heard a loud burst of energy coming from behind them. Glancing back he saw that, in the dirt road behind the soldiers, a wave of dirt was raising up out of the ground behind them, heading straight for their swiftly traveling horses, threatening to knock them all over.

Eventually, the rise of dirt rolling through the ground like a shockwave hit the hind flanks of he two slowest rider's horses, causing both of the animals to stumble, being thrown forward, knocking their riders from their backs violently before the barrage of earth that had been disrupted by magic finally died down. This allowed them much more even odds now with only two soldiers following them instead of all four. It would take the other two a good while to catch up.

Link would definitely have to ask her how she'd done that later, but for now, he was too concerned with finding a way to rid them of the company they still had left. Continuing on their fast paced path, Link began to realize that Frost was a bit of a faster runner than Epona, though this didn't make him feel bad at all. In fact, he thought it was probably best that way, so that Mira had less of a chance of being captured. Nonetheless, the two soldiers were gaining on them, and one came close to them both, attempting to slip in between Link and Mira and separate them.

Link pulled the Master Sword from it's sheath, then tugged on the reigns of Epona, which made her bump into the soldier's horse, knocking him to the side while their Captain caught up to Link's left side, opposite the other soldier. Link was about to attempt to attack the first soldier when he realized the Captain had pulled a large blade of his own and so he was forced to defend himself as a blow came down over his head, pulling his own blade up to knock it back.

Mira wasn't deaf to the sounds of clashing metal behind her, looking back only once to see that Link was engaged in a sword battle on the back of his horse, hearing the Captain shouting to his comrade, "Get the girl!" Narrowing her brows, not needing to see to know that the other soldier was heading in behind her, she smacked the heels of her brown boots into Frost's hind flanks, and he took off just a little faster for a few moments, giving her a nice head start.

Up ahead of herself, she saw a crack in the earth that led down into the gorge of a waterfall, one that could be jumped if enough speed was gathered without interference, and she had no choice. A loud crash of metal was heard again from behind her, and she prayed she kept hearing the sounds, knowing the moment that she didn't, Link could have possibly been hurt.

Link drew Epona away from his attacker in order to get some distance and some freedom for movement considering his opponent had a bigger sword and a little more strength, though he hadn't been faltering any himself in the fight, when he also saw the gorge ahead of them both. Mira was much closer to it than the rest of them however, and he could see that she wasn't about to stop, hoping that she didn't.

Arden swiped his thick broadsword at Link again, drawing Link's eyes from Mira and her pursuer toward the movement, raising the Master Sword to deflect the blow. When their swords met, the two scowled at one another, an Link pushed his sword around in an arc to knock Arden's broadsword back, the tip of the Master Sword pointing toward the front of Link and his horse once the move had been completed. Without hesitation, Link made his own attack, drawing his blade to the side quickly with a pull of his arm, and right across Arden's left cheek, slicing it open. In doing so, Arden turned his head to the side with a slight growl. Glancing back toward the kid he was fighting, blood dripping down his cheek, he went to angrily swipe at Link's torso.

Link had no choice because of the angle but to lean to the side, feeling the force of the blade across his left leg, drawing a grunt from his mouth. Epona had started riding toward the side a little until Link could right himself, keeping him from further injury immediately in his vulnerable state. For the moment that he'd felt the initial pain however, Link managed to spy ahead of them that Mira was about to jump the gap.

She'd waited until the right time to push Frost just a little harder, and the horse met the edge of the gorge, his hooves landing perfectly, then pushed himself forward, riding through the air and coming down with graceful form. His hooves met the rocky ground on the opposite side, and pranced forward just a bit while she stopped him, rubbing his mane and commending him heavily for such a good job. Once he was steadied, she turned to look back, the soldier who'd been after her reaching the gap himself in that moment.

As he did, his horse sensed the danger ahead of itself, and somehow the horse knew that with the heavy rider it was carrying, the armor weighing it down, it would never reach the other side of the gorge. The horse came to an abrupt stop, falling to the side. His rider's momentum propelled him forward, sliding over the edge of the gorge. On the way, the slipping soldier purchased what he could to try and stop himself, managing to grab the root of a tree before he went tumbling down, hanging on for his life. His horse worked it's way back to it's feet and started idly grazing above him.

While staring up, the soldier heard the loud gallop of hooves growing stronger, and witnessed Epona raising over his head to jump the gorge while Link crossed the gorge just over him. Reaching the other side with ease since Epona also wasn't bogged down with the weight of armor, Link had noticed that Arden had slowed his pace before they'd reached the crevice a good bit, as if he already knew his horse wouldn't be able to cross it. Watching while the young hylian he'd been attacking performed the same jump as before, Arden slowly trotted up to the edge of the gorge and smirked just a bit..

Landing safely, Link stopped Epona and allowed her to calm down, rubbing her sides to soothe her as Frost had been given the same treatment. He took only a moment of heavy breath himself, winded from fighting before he heard a little bit of soft chuckling, looking over to see Arden sitting on his horse just across the gorge, smirking at them both.

"Don't think this is over yet, boy," the Captain called to them, and once he had, he glanced over at Mira and smirked. "So, you're the Princess. Ganondorf's been wanting to meet you for a while now, Zelda. Or, what did they decide to change that pretty name to so they could hide you?"

Her brows narrowed at the comment, and so did Link's. But she trotted downward just a bit a threw out a response to Arden that sounded as if she'd meant every word of it. "My name _is_ Zelda, but you'll address me as Your Royal Highness." The words hadn't been made in a conceited fashion at all, yet in a manner that told Arden, no matter if she as actually crowned or not, he would still treat her with respect. "You may pass a message to your false king for me as well. Tell him that if he wishes to meet me, then he should come and do so, instead of sending his subordinates after me."

Link would have started clapping right then and there if Arden hadn't responded immediately with a grin and a chortle of laughter. "Oh, I'm sure he may just do that sometime soon. Be careful what you wish for, _your highness_." Smirking, Arden glanced between them both, and then added more to Link than to Mira, "We _will_ meet again."

Link narrowed his brows, then spit back at him, "I'll look forward to it, perhaps I'll manage to do more than slice your other cheek open."

Arden continued grinning as he reached up to wipe the blood from his cheek which, considering past wounds he'd received in other fights, was really just a scratch. Smearing the blood as he wiped it away, glancing at his hand, he replied to Link, "Aye, you'll have your chance to match a mark to the one your father left, one he made just before I watched him die."

The words, of course, hit a chord with Link as the grinning Captain chuckled, and without wasting a moment, Link pulled the bow he'd purchased earlier from his back and took aim, firing a shot at the Captain's head. The arrow went flying swiftly, and then stopped suddenly. Captured in Arden's hand just before it could pierce his skull right between his eyes, the Captain grinned once more, then broke the arrow in half like a twig between his fingers, tossing the weapon to the ground carelessly.

"Nice try, kid. But not just yet. We'll have another moment to finish this." With those words, he turned on his horse and started riding off, leaving his comrade behind to his fate without care, thinking the man was an idiot for trying to jump that gap to begin with. Link stared behind him with his teeth slightly bared in anger as he lowered his weapon. Taking in a slow breath, he calmed his anger when he heard his best friend slowly trotting up beside of himself.

With the sounds, Link turned to face her. "Are you alright?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Mira replied, looking him over. Seeing the wound on his left thigh, she frowned and said, "Drink some of the potion, I'll get a bandage."

"We don't have time right now," he replied as he took Epona's reigns into his hands. "We should get away from here first, then we can take care of it."

"Are you sure?," Mira asked, taking the reigns of her own horse, "it's not too deep?"

"No, it barely hurts much at all, just stings a little."

Once he'd said that, they both heard some shuffling followed by a yell of fear, and looked back to see that the soldier who'd been trying to climb his way up with the root he'd grabbed had stumbled down a bit. Trying to stay still so the root wouldn't break and he could try again, the soldier was startled when an arrow jammed its way into the ground above his head, then another next to it, followed by the words, "Grab that."

Blinking, Mira asked Link, "What are you doing?"

"Helping him out. I won't just leave him to die the way Arden did," Link explained to her.

The words made Mira smile somehow as Link fired another arrow above the first one for the man to grab hold of. Finally, the soldier had the leverage needed to work his way back up, and he pushed himself over onto the ground, breathing somewhat heavily and sitting forward slowly, pulling off his helmet. He was a younger man, maybe five years older than the two he'd been chasing before, his hair short and black, his face a bit dirty from trying to climb. Glancing up, he looked over at Link and shook his head slowly.

"Why did you help me?"

Link had lowered his bow and put it onto Epona's saddle for the moment, then told the man, "Because I have mercy in me, unlike Ganondorf." That was all he said before he turned around completely on Epona's back so they could leave the area, the confounded soldier watching them both before glancing down at the ground on which he was sitting in thought.

With a sigh, Mira glanced over at Link from the scene that had just played out, seeing that he'd drink a small bit of potion he was now slipping back into his pouch quietly while she'd been distracted by turning her horse around, thinking she wasn't looking. It made her shake her head, still smiling; at least he would do that much for her if he wasn't going to use a bandage for now, and once she'd reached him again, she decided to keep his pride in tact and not mention anything over his leg.

She was very proud of him after all, to call him her friend and, well, protector. So it was the least she could do to allow him to believe she hadn't seen him giving in to her wishes. It was then she had a thought, and wondered it aloud to Link.

"Alright, now what? This road leads to a few different places, Kakariko being one of them. Do we need to go back there?"

"Not for anything I can think of," Link replied as they cleared the rising incline, trotting over a rocky terrain now. As they went, Link asked, "By the way, how did you do that back there?"

"The shaken earth?"

He nodded at her. Once he had, she shrugged her shoulders, "The same way I use all magic. Did the Gerudo never teach you any?"

Link thought about that for a moment, then shrugged. "Not really, I don't think they have much of a taste for it."

"Well, then I'll have to remedy that," she glanced at him with a smile, "if you'd like I mean."

The area they had arrived at was surrounded by boulders and slopes, not much greenery anywhere to speak of, mountains in the distance, and not much else. Looking about, Link told her, "I wouldn't mind that at all. It might actually help some."

She smiled when he said that, and continued on down the hill, both of them quiet, resting a bit from their run from the soldiers. As they moved along, both of them becoming somewhat lost in their own thoughts, Link eventually looked down at his leg and lifted the hole in his pants, seeing that the slice of skin was already beginning to mend itself due to the magic potion he'd drank earlier. As he'd thought, it was really just a scratch, and nothing too deep to need a bandage or stitches, and he nodded in satisfaction over the condition of it, thinking to get a new pair of pants and clean his leg up whenever they got the chance to.

Having spied him looking his wound over, Mira asked, "How is it?"

"Fine, like I thought it would be."

"So certain," she drew out playfully. "You know, he _could_ have taken your whole leg off with that sword."

"Well, he didn't, and that's what matters. He was aiming for my gut after all." Link informed her of that with a raised brow, then looked ahead. Up the trail a ways, settled between two separate paths, was a pedestal with a softly glowing Myriad Stone atop it. Coming to a slow stop, he pointed it out to her.

"Look Mira, it's a Myriad Stone. We should use it."

After making the suggestion, Link looked back to see a somewhat thoughtful expression on her face. When she didn't respond to him, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she shook her head, turning her gaze to him. "I was just considering what Lyonel said, and what I told that guard back there. I think that I'd rather be called by my real name now. I want to who I'm supposed to be. Somehow it sounds silly to keep using the name Mira when I know the truth, that it was just something to hide me behind, even for me to hide myself behind. But it's too late for hiding now."

She wondered how he would respond. Watching his face to see what it would be, she saw him smiling at her, and the smile seemed to be infectious as her lips lifted up. Nodding his head, Link replied, "Alright, then I'll call you Zelda." Grinning now, he asked, "So, Zelda, do you think we should use the Myriad Stone now?"

She couldn't help but chuckle softly. Zelda, she thought. Somehow it sounded fairly nice coming from him, not that she didn't like the name Mira, but she was right, she couldn't hide anymore. Used to it or not, Zelda was her name, and she was proud of it, very proud. Finally, she responded to the name with a nod of her head, "Yes, Link, we should use Myriad's stone."

And so Zelda it was.


	19. Wedding Bells

_Chapter 18 - Wedding Bells_

Frost sniffed at the ground while Epona stared in the direction of their owners, both horses recently dismounted. Lifting his head, Frost watched with her as Link walked up to the Myriad Stone he'd spotted while riding and then looked over at Zelda.

"She said we could talk to her through a simple touch, right?"

"Yes," Zelda nodded in response, and watched closely to see what would happen. As Link neared the stone, he looked it over, glowing softly in slow pulses before him. It almost looked like white marble in a way, polished and glinting the light of the midday sun. He lifted his hand to the stone slowly and finally placed it on top of the globe, the texture completely smooth and cool to the touch. It reacted to him, a small, soft burst of white light charging out of it and into his palm, but one that didn't hurt at all. Link narrowed his brows as this happened, then lifted his head and looked about as the area surrounding them somehow darkened to their vision, somehow seemed to twinkle with light.

"Myriad?" Link asked.

Hearing a voice coming from the stone itself, it said, "Yes, it is good to hear from you again, Link. I sense that you and Princess Zelda have made your way to Roshala by now, and the stone you are using is near Death Mountain, is it not?"

"Yes," he replied, "we met a man named Lyonel who knew you, and told us much more of what happened. He also gave me a flute that he said was enchanted."

"Yes, Lyonel is a true friend to those whom fight for Hyrule. The flute he gave you can open the locks of many things if used properly. I'm sure he explained to you it's value."

"He did," Link replied to the voice, looking down at the stone, watching it glow beneath his fingertips. "We've come to a crossroad however. We're unsure where we should go from here now."

"I had thought you might at this point in your journey. The answer is simple, but I have a short story to tell you first so you can know the reason why."

Hearing those words, Link nodded his head, ready to hear more. Zelda was already paying complete attention herself, stepping over closer so that she could hear it easier. Once she had, Link asked Myriad, "What is it?"

"As you know, the King of Evil with whom you battle is powerful indeed, and seeks to rule over all, not just that which is dark and evil. He also seeks what is good, knowing that without a proper understanding of light as well as dark, he will never achieve his goals, and this wish to understand good is one of the things that makes him so dangerous to us all. His father also had the same wish, but there was a time when Dragmire was but a simple wizard, and not the powerful mage of darkness he became."

Zelda tilted her head to the side in thought. Looking at the softly glowing stone, she mused aloud, "You said he became Dragmire when he summoned dark power from the Sacred Realm."

"Yes, and in order to summon this great power, he first needed to find his own to do so."

"What did he do?," Link asked.

Both of them knew that summoning as much power as Dragmire had would have called for a good amount of power in the first place. So the two of them were fairly interested in finding out how he'd done so. Myriad didn't waste time in replying to them either, her words completely clear.

"Over time," Myriad replied, "everything leaves a mark in the world, whether physical or something more intangible. There have been many wise sages over the generations to pass through the great Temples of Hyrule, and their descendants take up the torch when their time to depart comes. Once this time arrives, they leave this essence of their souls behind in the Temple which they served their duty, and that essence they'd claimed for themselves is made stronger by their own virtues and knowledge after their passing. That essence then waits, manifesting within the walls of these sacred places until their successor realizes their Sage-like abilities and claims that essence for their own, taking up the role. These powers are sealed off within its corresponding Temple until one worthy enough to claim them emerges."

Link thought about that, and so did Zelda. The powers of Sages were passed on from generation to generation, waiting to be claimed by the new Sage once the old one passed away, supposedly safe within the Temple until that time came. The essence of power just waiting to be taken would surely have appealed to Dragmire and his cause. Lifting a brow, Link asked, "Did Dragmire claim these essences for himself then?"

"He wanted to, but could not. His destiny was not to become any type of Sage, therefore it was not his right do so. But he needed that power for his own. So he used dark orbs of magic in each Temple. These orbs are meant to draw in spirit energy, and that is what the essence of the Sages is, spirit energy left behind by the previous lives who've been there. With these orbs in place, Dragmire could control the essences to do with whatever he pleased."

It all seemed to make sense somehow, and explained the absence of Sages within the recent years. Even if one were to emerge, they would not be able to claim the essence they were supposed to have been granted. With that thought came another. "These orbs are still in the Temples, and they're now feeding his son power," Zelda supplied.

"Yes, and with this power in place, he will be much more difficult to defeat, almost to the point of impossibility. This is why I did not send you directly to Hyrule. Ganondorf's power far exceeds your own, and you wouldn't stand much of a chance. But there is danger, of course. The orbs imprisoning the soul essences have allowed evil into the Temples, just as Dragmire would have wanted in order to keep the orbs safe."

Link's brows narrowed, considering how there was always going to be some type of danger apparently. This didn't frighten him though, he simply needed to know one thing. "Myriad, how do we destroy these orbs?"

The answer to that was fairly simple. "Only one with royal blood in her veins can dissolve away the simple magic used to create them. Once freed of its prison, the essence will empower you both. The next path you must take will lead you and our Princess to the Goron City. It is there in the ashes of Death Mountain where you will receive your next rite of passage."

"But," Zelda began, "how do I destroy them?"

"You will know once the time comes, my lady. This is something even I cannot tell you. For now, be well on your journey, Death Mountain does not take kindly these days to travelers amongst it's slopes. Good luck to you both."

The glow surrounding them slowly began to fade as Myriad spoke those last words, and once the normal light of day had returned, Link pulled his hand from the stone and looked over at Zelda, seeing the thoughtful expression she had. He himself had a lot to think on, looking up the mountain trail toward Death Mountain where their next quest apparently lay waiting.

"So, I guess we're climbing." He spoke idly as he thought it over. Looking back at Zelda when she didn't respond, taking her thoughtful face in, he realized she almost seemed to not be paying any attention at all, daydreaming perhaps. The wind swept through her soft hair, and her deep purple dress billowed a bit with it. Since her visit to the clothing shop earlier, Link had finally been able to take in her new outfit, the dress sporting long sleeves and a white trim around the collar. She wore a white corset around her middle with ties up each side, and a pair of dark brown boots beneath the dress instead of slippers like most women tended to wear, more than likely due to how much traveling she knew she'd be doing.

She looked completely lovely, a new pair of earrings dangling from her pointed ears, pearls that hung down from gold chains just a slight bit, and he found himself staring, looking her over completely, and for a moment himself, forgetting what he'd originally wanted from her.

"Link?"

"Huh?" Link looked to see she was watching him now, and he blinked, "Oh, sorry. What?"

Zelda couldn't help herself, giving him a raised brow and a smile, asking, "What were you thinking about?"

Link didn't have a ready answer for her, so instead of bumbling over his words, he just pointed at her earrings, "Did you just get those in Roshala?"

"Yes," she nodded slowly, as if watching him suspiciously, "I actually got them from Midus's wife. As it turns out, she doesn't have too much jewelry, she makes it." Shaking her head slowly, she asked him, "Are you sure that's _all_ you were thinking about?"

"Of course, that and the fact that I can't just leave you behind while I go into this Temple, which makes me kind of mad." That hadn't been a complete lie, Link had just thought of it while she'd been asking him her question. So he threw it out there in order to keep her from knowing he'd really been thinking mostly about how beautiful she was.

Zelda smirked, trying to hide it with her hand so he wouldn't get annoyed, and she finally told him, "Well, until I can teach you a little more about magic, you'll just have my abilities with you." She turned away from him with a little smile and moved toward their horses.

Link looked up toward the trails and paths that went toward Death Mountain while she did, making a little sigh. "Yeah, that's one good thing I guess, but there's something else bad too."

Zelda had taken Frost's reigns as well as Epona's, walking the horses over to where he stood. "And what's the other bad thing?"

Link shook his head, turning to reach for Epona, saying to her, "It's Death Mountain," with a halfhearted smirk. "I don't specifically like it much considering what happened when we were kids. Come on though, Mi–," he stopped himself and amended, "Zelda, let's get going so we can get this over with. The sooner we get up there the better."

Smiling at him, Zelda nodded her head and continued up the path behind him. His slip of her name wasn't unexpected, she considered, but she was glad she'd decided to ask him to call her Zelda. Despite the awkwardness of the sound, she knew the name Zelda would settle in with the both of them soon enough, the more they used it that was.

Watching him as he moved along, she wondered if he'd told her the entire truth before however. She'd been standing there, considering Myriad's story about the orbs and how they needed to be destroyed so they would no longer feed Ganondorf's power, when she'd looked up to ask him if he were ready to go, and he was just standing there staring at her. Was she seeing things that were there, or had his look been a bit admiring?

Zelda knew she had her own admiration for Link, specifically with all of the noble qualities he consistently showed off, and with each show of that quality, she could feel that admiration growing stronger. Surely he had a very slight streak in himself for immaturity, though it came off more as a sense of humor than a quirk, but that just added to his appeal somehow, kept him from being what Zelda somehow knew would be completely bland and boring if he were simply a, well, do-gooder so to speak.

As she walked in behind him, and thought about this, she couldn't help a sigh, pushing all thoughts of her admiration for the man whom was fated to protect her out of her head. After all, she had no room to consider it, and somehow, somewhere deep down inside of herself where she didn't want to look, she knew that admiration was teetering on the edge of becoming something more - attraction. This wasn't something she wanted, after all, it was hard enough not to worry about him and all of the danger he faced simply being his close friend. If that admiration grew too much stronger, she'd never stop worrying at all.

For now, she focused on the Goron City instead. Neither of them had ever met a Goron, and both could only wonder just how friendly the people of the race really were.

---

Even in the Gerudo Valley, Link had never seen so many boulders. As if Death Mountain had an unending supply, randomly one would go rolling past, making their trek up the path on the side of the mountain a tedious, and fairly dangerous one. Due to this, they'd decided just to walk their horses, and stuck fairly close to the walls incase a large rock decided to roll right down the path they were walking on.

The entrance to the city, as it seemed, was settled within a long tunnel. They learned this from a man with a small stand settled in an enclave of rocks on the side of the mountain. His selection was shoddy, and he himself looked as if he were bored to tears. Link couldn't help but ask him the obvious question of why he'd settled a merchant stand in such an unpopulated place, and his reply actually made a lot of sense.

According to him, ever since the new king took over, and rumor of curses spreading throughout the lands had taken root, it was as if the mountain itself had reacted, sending down boulders every now and again in order to keep unwanted visitors off of its slopes, so no one came by much anymore. He also imparted to them both that people used to like to visit the Goron more frequently, which was where his business had come from, being that the Goron's weren't human, so they didn't eat typical human food, and instead, fed mostly on rocks.

Thanking him for the information, Link tossed him a few rupees for that alone, and continued on with Zelda around the corner in the direction the man had given him, following his instructions to get to the tunnel. The stakes rose the further they went when, aside from the boulders, a slightly large creature jumped from the side of the mountain wall toward them, called a tektite, it's body like a spider, with one eye, but it jumped about instead of crawled.

Two of the creatures found them, but after taking out one, the second was crushed by a boulder. Link decided maybe the boulders had their uses after all.

Near the top of the mountain, the falling rocks seemed to lessen a good bit, and they both found the tunnel the merchant had been speaking of within an alcove of rock. Link was ready to head toward it, but something caught his eye, and he got distracted. Turning from the entrance to the City, he walked toward the edge of the path, settled high on the side of Death Mountain, looking out and down over the landscape of Hyrule while the wind whipped up and around him.

Watching him, Zelda left Frosts's side considering the tunnel entrance was located under a secure rock roof, and she stepped over beside Link, looking out with him. In seeing what he was looking at, her lips parted in awe. Everything looked so green, and they could see various villages here and there. Death Mountain where they stood was located to the west of the Kingdom, and facing the east of Hyrule now from their vantage point, they could see the large Lake Hylia in the distance.

"It's breathtaking," Zelda told Link softly. "I'll bet there's not a view to match it in the Palace." Taking in the sight of Lake Hylia, Zelda told Link, "I've always wanted to go there."

"The lake?" He asked her.

She nodded, "I don't know why, but I just think waterscapes are beautiful. I'd like to go swimming in it." She smiled after she mentioned that, adding, "I bet you could catch some big fish there too."

"Man eaters," he chuckled back in response, looking at her face to see her grinning. He liked it when she looked pleased like this, had the thought to take her places he'd been in his life with the Gerudo to see if she'd be just as pleased with them as she was with this scenery they were currently getting the privilege to see, making the trek they'd taken up the boulder infested path seem worth it.

Turning to look back at the scenery, and toward the south which was to their right, he pointed and asked, "I wonder if that's Kakariko?"

"It's hard to tell because of the trees," Zelda chuckled. "I bet Shamrock's playing cards again with someone. He probably misses my deliveries too." She smiled over the thought, but somehow it made her feel a little sad, missing the villagers there. She knew she'd get to see them again, but it was still somehow bittersweet. What would they think of her if they all found out her true identity? She had to wonder that for a moment.

Link also considered the words, smirking over them. Giving the entire scene another once over, he took in a deep breath of the fresh air, and then said, "Come on, we should probably go now."

Zelda nodded, knowing he was right, but they had to stop and look. After all, it wasn't often you got a chance to see where you lived from such a high vantage point. Turning around, he went to their horses again and started heading toward the tunnel that would lead them into the Goron City.

Once they made it inside, Link took the lantern from his horses saddle, and Zelda opened the door on the side of it. Reaching her fingers in, she pinched them against the wick. An orange glow began to emit from beneath them and when she let go, the wick was burning, which she shut the door on.

"You're going to have to teach me that first," Link informed her while holding the lantern up in order to see better.

Zelda smiled over the words, and followed behind him. The tunnel seemed to be a long one, just as the merchant had said to them, but already they could both see the distant glow at the other end, signaling to them that there was in fact life beyond the cave they were walking through. On the walls were drawings as well, of what looked to be the Goron race, perhaps a history of their people, or maybe legends they believed in.

"They seem to have a bit of personality," Zelda remarked as they went, looking over at Link to see what he thought.

He'd nodded and agreed with her as he looked the pictures over himself, making it to the end of the tunnel without much trouble. One thing he had noticed however was that they could still hear a falling boulder or two outside despite the fact that they were about to enter the city.

Or...was it something else?

Stopping at the end of the tunnel, looking inside, both of them could see torches lit along the walls of the domed out cavern, at least seven stories high, with windows in random rooms along each floor and railed walkways lining the levels, some with bridges connecting them for easier passage. The walkway they'd entered appeared to be in the center of the rest of them, or close anyway. But one thing they could both agree on was that it was definitely large.

Zelda had been about to step onto the walkway before them when Link stopped her, hearing the sound of what he'd though had been falling boulders getting louder. "Wait, do you hear that?" He asked the question in confusion.

Zelda listened, and then shook her head, not sure what it was exactly, until what looked like a rock went rolling past them swiftly and they both blinked, watching it go but then suddenly stop. Once it did so, it began to roll back up the slightly sloped walkway toward them, and settled right in front of them.

Link and Zelda exchanged a glance, then watched as the rolled up ball started sitting up, actually a Goron, who started yawning a slight bit and stretching its massive arms out as it did so. His back was facing them, a brownish color that was speckled with greys here and there, fairly rocky looking in itself, and coming to stand completely, he slowly turned around, shoulders slumped forward a bit, his burly, rocky body much bigger than Zelda and Link both were. Black, beady eyes looked down at them, and the Goron suddenly smiled.

"Company!?"

"Um," Link drew out, looking at Zelda, then back to the Goron as he rubbed the back of his head uncertainly. "Yeah."

"Oh! We have company!" The Goron seemed fairly excited over it, adding, "I should go tell the others. Wait!" He'd already turned to go away, but then he looked back at the two he'd been so excited over. "First, you should feel welcome here. So, welcome to Goron City!"

Link looked at Zelda over the sudden welcome, and she just smiled up at the Goron and told him, "Thank you. This is Link, and I am Zelda." She felt a little odd introducing herself that way, but she knew to give it a little more time. "We hear you don't get visitors often."

"No, no, not since the new king." The big Goron shook his head, then gave a bit more of a thoughtful expression. "Sometimes they manage to come up here, but Death Mountain is angry these days. Because of this, we also haven't been to the human villages much, trying to find ways to calm the mountain down most of the time. I am Tongo, and pleased to meet you both."

"It's nice to meet you, Tongo," Zelda replied, then she glanced back at Epona and Frost, deciding to ask before she and Link both assumed anything. "Is it alright if we have horses here? There wasn't a place to let them rest outside without fear of boulders harming them."

"Oh, oh! I love horses!" Tongo grinned, then he went on, "But you're right, it's too dangerous for them out there. Yes, we have a place where people used to settle them, it hasn't been used in a while though, so I hope it's still okay. Follow me."

Nodding for the big guy to lead the way, Tongo took them down the walkway and he reached a door, pushing it open. Once he'd done so, he looked inside and nodded. "Yeah, this is it. I don't think we have that food stuff horses eat anymore though." He rubbed his chin in thought. "If we do, it's no good. Could be bugs in it."

Zelda tried not to snicker while she heard Link speaking. "It's alright, Tongo," he patted the Goron's arm to let him know it was alright when he realized just how hard the golem like creature was, deciding it might be the best idea not to get on these people's bad sides. After all, Link was pretty sure, with as hard as this guy felt, he could hit you hard enough to kill you.

Leading their horses into the large room which, despite it's disuse, was actually well kept, though there wasn't much in there except for rock walls and stalls for the horses to rest in, Link went on to tell Tongo, "We have food for them ourselves. It should last while we're here."

Tongo started nodding his head, telling them, "Good, good! Well, you two should look around, tell us all what you think. We have rooms for your types on this same level. This is where all of our visitors first arrive. It used to be used for our competitions, but when people kept arriving here, we took our fights to the ground level, and turned this into a place for humans to stay at."

After explaining that, Tongo turned to the door, adding, "I should go let everyone know you're here, this will make them happy!"

"Sure thing," Link replied as he put Epona in a stall, making sure she was settled. "I doubt we'll get lost."

"Nah, not here. No one would let you. I'll see you later!" Once Tongo promised that and stepped onto the walkway outside of the door again, he rolled up into a ball, apparently, a faster means of travel, and took off to do as he'd suggested he would.

Watching him go with his brow lifted slightly, Link heard Zelda heading up behind him, saying, "Well, they seem nice so far."

"Yes, and a bit over excited, which scares me with how big and strong they are," Link smiled, then looked back at her. "Remember Archer?"

Zelda started snickering, nodding her head, "I do. It's like Archer times one hundred. We'll have to watch ourselves that we don't do anything to make them _to_ happy."

"Right," Link chuckled as he stepped back out of the room again. "So, let's see what's around."

Nodding her agreement, Zelda left the Goron Stables with Link and walked around the level with him to start off. It seemed to be quiet where they were, and since the level they arrived on seemed to be in the middle of the rest, they had one question to ask when they found the stairs.

Up or down?

Link suggested they move all the way up to the top, and work down from there. After all, he could hear shouts coming from below them of, well, excited Gorons, and he didn't want to be close to that right then. Zelda was trying not to laugh over his explanation as she walked up the stairs with him, but she couldn't help herself. He was right, best to let them calm down before rushing in head first.

Making their way to the top level, looking at the walls and the pictures painted on them, there didn't seem to be too much on that floor. But Link and Zelda did notice one thing, which was a large door, two Gorons standing on either side of it, as if to guard it. Link looked at Zelda, then he decided to walk around toward them, approaching them slowly.

As they approached, one of the Gorons looked down and grinned, "Look brother, we have company!"

His friend nodded as if just as happy to see that they had company like the rest of them, and Link replied, "Hello, we were just looking around. What are you guys doing up here all by yourselves?"

"We're guarding this doorway, making sure nothing comes in or goes out," the same Goron explained. "Today it's our turn to watch."

Link and Zelda exchanged a slightly confused look, and Zelda asked them, "Why? What's on the other side of the door?"

"It leads to the inside of the volcano," the opposite Goron, who was more of a silvery rather than a brown color, replied. "There have been monsters in there for a long time now, ever since that one man came to visit us. Do you remember him, brother?"

"Oh yes. He was wanted to visit the Temple of Fire, but then he just left with these problems, and didn't fix them. So now our Magistrate doesn't want anyone to pass, he's our chief. He had the door locked completely, to keep us safe. But I miss the rocks from those caves. They were tasty."

Hearing the story while the Gorons both agreed with each other about the rocks from inside of the volcano caverns, Link gave Zelda a somewhat knowing look, and decided he was going to have to get through that door one way or the other. But, he considered while looking at the two large Gorons blocking his path, the question was _how_?

As Link thought that, Zelda asked the first obvious question, "What if someone came here to fix it?"

"That would be good," the silvery Goron replied, "but it would take someone strong and he would have to get the approval of the Magistrate first."

"Hmm," Zelda thought aloud. "Well, maybe we can talk to him. I think we can actually help you."

"You do!?" Both of the Gorons asked the question at the exact same time, and stared at them both eagerly. Link and Zelda decided that they shouldn't seem to enthusiastic about it in the face of such strong creatures, so easily excitable, and slowly, Link nodded his head.

"Maybe," he drew out, "but, well, where's the Magistrate?"

"Um," the brown one thought aloud, "we're not sure. He might be in his room. It's on the third level from the bottom floor."

"Then, we'll go see if he thinks we're strong enough," Zelda told them with a little smile, "and then we'll come back to let you know what he says."

"Okay!," they both nodded. Then the brownish one added, "If you are strong enough, maybe the mountain will go back to being peaceful again too, what do you think, brother?"

While the two started talking about it, Link and Zelda slipped away from them, moving back to the entrance they'd originally come from. As they walked, Link told Zelda, "Well, at least now we know where to go."

"Yes," she agreed, walking back into the stairwell that had been carved out of the rock walls, "I just hope the Magistrate thinks we're strong enough. Maybe we have to endure a test of skill. What do you think?"

Link considered that and let a sigh of breath. "I think if we have to get into some kind of physical endurance match with them, we're going to need some kind of help."

Zelda couldn't agree with him more. She hoped that wasn't the kind of thing this would take, and that it might be a bit more simple. Either way, she continued down the steps with him in order to find out.

Eventually, they found their way down, deciding maybe it was best to go to the bottom so they could figure out which level they needed to be on by counting the floors going up, just to keep from getting lost. When they got there, they could hear some chattering that hadn't sounded as excited as before, and they curiously rounded the corner of the stairwell just to see what it was. They came across a somewhat large grouping of Gorons when they did, Tongo standing with them, agreeing with something previously unheard that another Goron had suggested to him.

"Look, they've arrived, brother!"

Tongo turned around when one of his people pointed Link and Zelda out, smiling at them, the rest of the Gorons doing the same, and he welcomed them in. As they did so, one of them called out, "This will give the Magistrate something to be happy about. He's been in such a sour mood lately."

"I agree," another one called, then looked at Link and Zelda, asking them, "when did you decide to do this?"

The question confused the two of them, and unsure how to reply, they were interrupted anyway by a third. "Who cares when they did. They're here now! We can have a celebration for them!"

The Goron's started cheering when they heard that. Seeing they were getting excited again, a room full of the creatures in such a state somewhat intimidating, Zelda leaned into Link and asked quietly, "What in the world do they think we want to do?"

Link shrugged, and while he didn't want them to get overly jubilant, he also didn't want to ruin their apparently happy moods and make things harder on themselves. So he moved over to Tongo while everyone started chattering and poked the Goron's arm for his attention. Turning around, Tongo looked down at him and smiled, "Are you ready to go see him?"

"The Magistrate?" Link asked him, just hoping that was it.

"Yes, he's the one who will perform the ceremony for you."

Zelda and Link gave each other a confused glance, and Zelda asked, "What ceremony?"

Tongo started chuckling softly, "Your marriage of course! You did come here to be married, didn't you?"

Link and Zelda both went a good bit wide eyed, then Zelda shook her head, "I'm afraid there's been a mistake. We didn't really come here for that."

"Oh," the Goron frowned down at them. "Well, that is sad. We'd assumed a couple such as yourself came here for the same reason as everyone else."

"You mean," Link started, "that other people come here to do that?"

Tongo nodded, "They used to. People liked visiting us frequently to get married. You hadn't heard?"

"No, actually," Link replied, "why do they do that though?"

Tongo considered it for a moment, rubbing his chin again in thought, then told Link, "I think it's because Goron marriages don't stand true outside of the Goron City. So people come here just to see if they can really do it. If it works out here, they leave to get married in their own cities. It all started with a couple who visited us a long time ago. Their parents wouldn't let them wed. So we did it for them, and it worked out great! Ever since, people do it all of the time. It's kind of like a vacation to take, and we have fun celebrating for them in the process. It makes us happy to play our music and have our parties."

With that explained, Link nodded slowly, and Zelda put her hand on her own chin, trying to figure out how to break it to everyone that they weren't, in fact, there to be wed. But before either of them could come up with a positive solution, Tongo went on, "The Magistrate is my cousin. He's been in a sad, and even very bad mood here lately because no one's come to visit us, so he hasn't performed any marriages. He likes to do that, it seems to make us more connected to the rest of the world. As time goes on though, and the problems with Death Mountain keep us stranded from the rest of the world, he just starts thinking more and more that everyone's forgotten about us."

Link sighed out his breath, knowing they needed the Magistrate's permission to enter the volcano like he'd wanted to, but if the guy was in a foul mood, then they might not be able to get that permission. Unless, that was, if...

Reaching over, Link took Zelda's hand into his and put his other arm around her shoulders. The movement made her blink as he pulled her against his side, staring at him while he spoke. "Well, I had actually been planning on asking her, but I was too worried she'd say no. Now that we know you can marry us, and it won't be permanent if we leave here, maybe she'll say yes and we can try it out too."

The words put an incredulous look on the Princess's face. Link looked at Zelda and grinned rather charmingly, his brow lifting pointedly.

Seeing the look, Zelda realized what he was getting at. If they let the Magistrate marry them, maybe they could talk him into getting inside of the volcano, and she turned a big grin up to Tongo, saying, "I...," she breathed out, "I'm speechless, really. You actually wanted to marry me?" She asked Link just to make it seem more realistic.

"Of course," he nodded, trying to think of something meaningful to add, turning his face up to Tongo, "I can't really imagine a day without her."

Was this really happening? Unsure, Zelda tried to continue playing along, though she couldn't help but wonder over it all. "Why," She blushed, and the blush was just because of what she'd thought to say, which actually did embarrass her a good bit, "Link, I had no idea you thought of me so sweetly."

Link had to clear his throat. He couldn't be too sure why, but somehow he found this all to be the most hilarious thing he'd ever seen, and it was kind of hard to keep up the act. Nodding, getting into the part, he put his hand on her cheek and asked her, "Is it too soon?"

The worried expression on his face coupled with his words made Zelda nearly snort out a laugh, but she managed to hold it in as Tongo watched them both, along with the other Gorons in order to see the outcome. The whole situation made Zelda bite her lips in order to continue their little act. Finally, she told him, "Ye–," then shook her head, "I mean no, it's not too soon. I was hoping you'd ask me actually, I just didn't want to make you feel rushed either. We can try it here, and if it doesn't work, then we'll both know."

Link smiled and reached around her to hug her tightly as if he were relieved. That's when he remembered that he had to propose to make it all look completely legitimate, and so he steeped back, taking Zelda's hands in his, and got down on one knee. "Well, then Zelda, would you," he had to pause because it was all so crazy somehow, hoping the pause might make him look a slight bit choked up, "be my wife?"

This definitely wasn't the marriage proposal Zelda had always envisioned for herself. Trying not to think too hard on it though, she nodded her head, just wanting to accept so they wouldn't be in this awkward position anymore. "Yes, Link, I will!"

"Really!?" Tongo drew out, interrupting them. "You really want to be married!?"

Link and Zelda both nodded their heads at him. "As soon as possible," Zelda added, looking up at Tongo. "After all, if it makes the Magistrate happy, then, that's three people instead of two, right?"

"Ah hah!," Tongo laughed loudly. "You have a good point. I tell you what, let me go talk to him, and I'll see if he's ready for it or not!" Everyone else seemed to, once again, be excited with the prospect of a marriage ceremony and having a reason to celebrate. Tongo hurried along to find him, a few others leaving with him to help, and that's when Link and Zelda sighed out their breaths as Link stood back up straight on his feet.

"Do you really think this is such a good idea?" Zelda asked him quietly. "I mean, aren't we, well, lying in a way just to get what we want?"

Link thought about that for a moment, then shrugged, "Not really. I mean it's not a true marriage, right? I don't think it will hurt anything. Like he said, it doesn't stand true outside of this City. So even if we're lying about wanting to be married, it at least makes these guys happy, and we won't have to worry about it later."

"I suppose you're right," Zelda replied, "I guess I'm just, well..."

As she trailed off, Link lifted a brow, then grinned, "Pre-wedding jitters?"

"Don't say that!," Zelda scolded him. With the words came a sense of anxiety and disbelief she couldn't help but feel as she exclaimed, "I can't believe we're doing this!"

A passing Goron gave them a tilted head, and Zelda immediately put her arms around Link to hug him, adding, "It's just so unbelievable that's it's finally happening." She hoped that appeased the passing Goron and cringed as he walked on with a grin, letting go of Link and sighing loudly. "I'm not fit to be a Princess," she grumbled.

Link wanted to laugh, but he held it in and just grinned, then patted her shoulder comfortingly. "You are, you're just doing what you have to do. And look on the bright side. It's me and not someone you barely know."

"I suppose," Zelda smiled a small smile, though, it was _still_ a lie, wasn't it? Deciding the whole idea was just to crazy to really be able to figure it out to begin with, she pushed the thoughts from her head and glanced over at Link, suddenly having a thought. With it, she folded her arms over her chest and asked him, "So, where's my ring, Mister?"

"Oh yeah," Link scratched his head, remembering that little stipulation. "Do you think they'll notice I don't have one?"

"You can tell them it's on Epona I suppose. Or that you haven't had the money to buy one yet if they ask." As Zelda suggested this, they heard someone calling down to them. Looking up, they saw Tongo on the walkway of the third floor looking down over the railing, and stepped back in order to see him better.

"Link, Zelda! Come on up! The Magistrate says he'll be right with you!"

"Oh boy, here we go," Link said softly, taking a deep breath. "We'll be right up, Tongo!"

"Okay!," the Goron replied, and Link looked at Zelda, then held out an arm as if to escort her in a gentlemanly fashion. With a shake of her head, Zelda took it, folding her hands around his arm as they walked.

Time to marry the Princess, Link thought to himself, wondering why a streak of pride surged up in him for a moment over the thought. But he just shrugged it off, guessing anyone would be proud, false wedding or not, to wed a Princess as beautiful as Zelda was.

For a brief moment, he seriously wondered how he managed to get himself into these kinds of situations.


	20. Test of Strength

_Chapter 19 - Test of Strength_

Fake wedding or not, Link knew this would be a day he'd never forget, no matter how old and senile he got, saying that ever happened.

The room he was taken into with Zelda was decorated with large vases and a rock pile here and there. Or maybe that was food instead of decor since rocks seemed to be the delicacy of the race they were currently with. Several Gorons had gone with the 'happy couple' to show them the way to their chief's domain, and it was fairly large, looked to be the Goron's version of an atrium perhaps. The torches that were lit in the area were decorative too, hanging down from large wooden frames, giving the place some kind of comfort though it was very masculine in feel.

On the way, several of them had apologized to the both of them for not having any formal garments the couple could change into, or even a veil for Zelda to wear. They kept telling them as they entered the atrium that it was fine, and the Gorons seemed to be happy that the two were so easy to please.

Link and Zelda waited quietly amidst the gathered Gorons, and heard rummaging from a room in the back. Tongo, standing near a stone desk at the head of the room that had a long tasseled throw clothe over it, told them both, "He's looking for his vestment. He likes to make this seem as real as possible for the people who seek his services."

The two of them were trying to smile as much as possible, and they told Tongo it was fine, that he could take his time. Humorously enough, Link considered, was that while they were waiting, Zelda had taken and squeezed his hand without even noticing it as if she were actually a nervous bride-to-be. He just shook his head over it all. Somehow though, despite as crazy as he'd thought this all was, he was strangely coming to like the Gorons more and more. After all, they apparently just wanted to have their part in the world, and being so different from other races probably made that hard for them to do. So this was one of their ways of connecting, after all, he hadn't spotted any female Gorons about, so he could only guess marriage wasn't exactly one of the things Gorons did on a day to day basis.

Though, he pursed his lips as he considered, he had to wonder how their children were born, and immediately after he'd had the thought, decided it wasn't the best topic to tread onto right then.

As he'd pushed the inconsequential thoughts from his mind, the Magistrate stepped out of the room in the back, wearing a black vestment, grinning nearly from ear to ear. He was a larger Goron, his skin such a dark tone of brown it almost looked black, and he had interesting marks and zigzags along his arms and face from which they could see, probably his chest too, but that was covered by the vestment he wore for their benefit alone. But the grin on his face couldn't speak more of the eagerness he was apparently feeling as he stood there and asked everyone loudly for Link and Zelda.

"Who is it seeking to be married today!?"

As the large Goron announced his question, Link and Zelda both raised their hands slowly, the only two amidst the Gorons hanging about the room that it could possibly be, making the question pointless altogether, but they played along just to please everyone else. When the Magistrate saw their hands raised, he headed over to them, standing in front of his desk as he told them both, "Come closer then so we can have this ceremony done properly!"

By this point, Link was trying his best not to laugh, and Zelda had to elbow him to get him to stop as they stepped before the Magistrate. He couldn't help it though. How could he not laugh? The guy was wearing a priests vestment, and it somehow just did not look right on him. Excusing himself as he cleared his throat so the Gorons wouldn't get curious, or even worse, feel insulted, Link looked up at the big guy as he stepped before him with Zelda on his right side and said, "I'm Link, and this is Zelda."

"Hello," Zelda told the large Goron softly, the squeeze she'd had on Link's hand growing a bit tighter with her increased nervousness.

"I am Kioson, and pleased to meet you both. If you're ready, then take your hands and face one another."

Zelda was starting to get innately embarrassed. But she complied nonetheless, hoping Link wouldn't pick on the blush she knew was visible upon her cheeks later. Reaching for his hands, taking them and turning to face him like Kioson had asked, she could barely look up at him. Instead, she opted to focus her attentions on the Magistrate, though she could see Link looking that way as well instead of at her from the corner of her eyes.

That made her feel a little better while the Magistrate fought to remember the typical words since it had been so long from the last time he'd performed a ceremony like this. They just listened as he finally started speaking.

"We are gathered here to marry these two people together today, in the hopes that they have a strong, happy relationship with one another. We feel fortunate they've sought our help in the matter, and ask for the Goddesses to bless their bonding with might, spirit, and love."

That was actually nice, Zelda considered, his words not completely standard from what she knew of, but somehow they were pleasant and meaningful. As he continued on, she somehow considered that maybe the whole affair wasn't as flaky as she'd thought it would be, and that perhaps, everyone who'd come here before had a real desire to, took the matter seriously, and that it wasn't only for some fun and games. After all, as Kioson went on and began to compare that even though Gorons didn't understand love the way that humans did, they had a great love for their brotherhood and their unification together, and so they wanted the couple they were joining now to experience that same type of feeling for their new union with one another, it just sounded like it could have been a possibility.

Somehow, in some odd way, it made sense, as if these Gorons were actually perfect for performing ceremonies such as this. From what she knew over stories she'd heard after all, they never fought one another, if they did it was only for sport, and they had a large sense of community. They took this seriously, and the more she realized that, the more she felt completely wrong for taking advantage of it.

Then again, it wasn't so bad. Like Link had said, they weren't actually getting married, and remembering that fact made her feel much better about it all. Though, as Kioson's words began to draw to a close, any good feelings she'd had were completely dashed by his last line.

"You can kiss your woman."

Zelda went wide eyed and looked at Link. She'd forgotten about that stipulation of getting married. Her heart skipped a beat, her throat got dry, and if she'd been blushing before, she was sure her head was probably about to explode now. But as she looked at Link, and he looked at her, somehow, her embarrassment faded, though it wasn't due to some kind of locked gaze like they'd shared before on accident.

No, she'd gotten mad. He looked completely composed, as if he weren't embarrassed at all, didn't even care. Leaning in, Link kissed her on the lips, a very brief kiss that left, well, everything to be desired. Without a word, he stood back up straight again, and while everyone began cheering, Zelda could only wonder why she'd made such a huge fuss about such a simple thing as what he'd just given her in her head, and in the end, that made her even more angry.

Didn't he care at all? Why did he look so composed and, well, casual? Of course, he was smiling, but she knew that was for the sake of being the happy newlywed. And why in the world was she making such a fuss about it!? She knew she cared about Link, probably more than she should considering the _way_ she cared for him, which was heading toward being beyond friendship, so his casual demeanor just made her wonder if she was acting completely irrational and worrying for nothing.

Not speaking of her frustrations in that moment, she just continued on with their farce for now, letting the Gorons congratulate them. The Magistrate gave words of blessing to them as they were, and added that they should go rest for now since they hadn't had a chance to sit since they'd climbed the mountain to come to the city. Link and Zelda both agreed just because they felt he was completely right in that matter. So they went with the well wishers and ended up going back up the stairwell and to the entry level of the city they'd first arrived at. The Goron escorted them both into a room where there was a normal bed, some matching furniture, and even a soft rug on the floor.

The Gorons told them to relax for a while, and that they needed to make preparations for the celebration since one hadn't previously been planned. When everything was ready to be enjoyed, they would come calling for the two newlyweds.

Finally the doors shut, and everything got much more quiet once they did. It was nice to have a moment to themselves.

Shaking his head, Link placed his hand against the wall to lean on it as he started chuckling. Hearing the snickers, Zelda looked over at him and tilted her head. Seeing the look on her face, Link started trying to clear his throat to get himself to stop, asking, "You can't tell me you don't think it's funny too, Zelda."

"Well, yes," she drew out slowly, "but at the same time, I'm just..."

"Just what?"

She'd stopped as if in thought over how to describe it, and Link pushed himself away from the wall to face her completely. Still though, she didn't seem to have a ready answer for him.

"Nothing," she spit out quickly and shook her head, turning her side to him. "You just didn't seem as embarrassed about it as I was and it made me a little irritated that I was the only one who seemed to be so nervous."

"Embarrassed?" Link scratched his head, trying to figure out what she meant. "Was it something in specific that embarrassed you, or just the whole thing?"

"Like I said, it's nothing important. I shouldn't even be so frustrated by it." Still refusing to give him an answer - mostly because she knew it was the kiss and how she'd almost felt slighted that he looked like he hadn't cared when she knew she shouldn't - she went to the door of the room to open it and glance outside, trying to see if many people were around or not.

Link let her while he thought back to their little ceremony. He hadn't been oblivious to the fact that the whole time she'd been blushing, and couldn't even look at him while they'd been holding hands. But she'd seemed to be the most embarrassed by giving him a kiss, hadn't even leaned up to do so, nor responded to the quick peck he wouldn't even have called a kiss which he'd placed upon her lips. If she was frustrated by being so embarrassed over what he guessed she thought of as something silly, then he was frustrated because he couldn't actually kiss her the way he'd wanted to.

After all, what Kioson had said was actually pretty meaningful. Like Zelda, Link had listened to the speech the Magistrate had given, and somehow found it oddly complimentary. He'd looked over at Zelda during that point of the speech where Kioson talked about unification, and had seriously thought about the way he'd started to feel for her. While no, he was no where near ready to marry the woman, wasn't even sure if being with her was possible considering she was actually a Princess - something which annoyed him greatly somehow - he also couldn't help but think how good of a choice she was for him. It made him seriously think about everything in fact.

The part where they'd had to kiss actually had frustrated Link also. But he was frustrated because this wasn't the first time he'd really wanted to kiss her, and knew he damned well better not. At least, not in the way he wanted to. It really wasn't much for Link to exercise his control in those matters, he just somehow wished things could be a little bit different. Or a lot different.

But in the end, he figured what was bothering her now had to be that she felt she'd become embarrassed so deeply for no reason.

Deciding that was probably it, Link told her as she shut the door again from seeing the Goron outside just going about their business, "Hey, I was frustrated too. Don't get me wrong, no, I wasn't embarrassed, but I don't like putting you in that position either. And if it was the kiss thing, then don't worry over it, Mi–," he stopped himself again and cringed. "Sorry. Zelda," he amended, "but it's not as if I was really trying to kiss you anyway."

She lifted a brow at him, and almost asked him 'why not' before she managed to stop herself. Was she _really_ that interested in him!? This only frustrated her even more, but it was at herself, not any actions he might've made, so she attempted to calm herself down before she thought too much more on it and accidentally took it out on him without meaning to.

"I know," she nodded, "I'm just being silly about it. I probably just made a big deal out of nothing."

"Are you sure?" Link asked, stepping over to her. "Just because you've found out more of who you are doesn't mean I don't know you," he reminded her. "Maybe I missed ten years of your life, but there's still that little girl there I knew, and sometimes, it's almost like I never left. And I know from back then that when you're bothered like this, there's usually something deeper there that makes you feel this way."

Zelda narrowed her brows in agitation because he was right. He _did_ know her, and it was specifically annoying, especially in this case. But, did he have to sound so sweet when he said it? But she definitely had no inclinations of telling him what that was deep down which was making her feel this way, so she just said, "Well, maybe I don't wish to speak of it right now."

She folded her arms over her chest stubbornly, the look she gave him a refusing one, and Link nodded his head over it solemnly. He looked fairly serious, and he walked over slowly, telling her, "Alright, then you give me no other choice."

Zelda stared at him in confusion, her brows wrinkling, "Huh?"

Without a word, Link grinned and grabbed for her playfully, attacking the ticklish spots he knew she had from when they were kids. Gasping, Zelda grabbed at his hands, but it was too late. Getting the worst spot she had that he knew of - her side - she started squeaking out her laughter cutely, failing in her serious attempts to tell him to stop, grinning over it when she wanted to try to scowl at him for it.

Outside of the room, the Goron heard her yelling, "Link, you're terrible! Really!" And several of them looked at one another, shrugging. When she started laughing though, and Link added, "Had enough yet? Ah, not the neck!," they all decided they really couldn't figure out human courting rituals.

Their struggles to tickle one another had led them toward the chair in the room, and Link fell onto it with her on his lap, still laughing with her as she struggled to get free of his grasp, grinning over the whole affair. She could remember doing this with him when they were children, trying to tickle one another or just play fighting, and now was really no different.

"Okay, alright," Zelda begged, "stop! I'll go quietly!"

Link laughed over her choice of words and let up on all of the tickle torture, both of them a little winded as they sat there quietly. The chair they were in was, considering the race they were with, big enough for the both of them, and Zelda slid back a bit until her bottom hit the seat next to his leg, her back against the arm of the chair, her legs over top of his. Looking over at him, she pursed her lips to the side and told him, "You know, that wasn't fair. You're hands are bigger and you're stronger."

The words made Link smile, shrugging his shoulders, "I _was_ going easy on you. Oh, that reminds me of something."

"What's that?" Zelda asked him that question as he went to his belt and pulled a sheathed dagger off of it, turning it to hand to her.

"I wanted to give you this, just incase you need it. I mean, there may be some point at which you're exhausted with your magic, and if that happens, I don't want you to get hurt needlessly."

"Hmm," Zelda considered as she took the dagger from him. "That sounds like a good idea. Though, I'm not completely sure on how to use one efficiently. Not like you are anyway."

"Well, when we get the time," he started, "I'll teach you and you can teach me about magic."

"Sounds like a deal," she smiled, pulling the blade out and looking it over. It was double edged, and well taken care of. Sighing, she considered how he'd always wanted to protect her, from bullies when they were growing up, to the very King of Evil they were facing now, and it made her smile. He really _didn't_ care, it seemed, if she was Mira or Zelda, he still treated her the same way, and that was comforting in itself. If she ever wondered where he admirations that had began to grow so strongly had come from, she knew those were more than likely the deepest rooted reasons for it.

Putting the dagger back into the sheath, she found a spot to stick it on her own belt, and then looked at him. She didn't want to question why he'd always want to protect her, but she did have to wonder of their fate had anything to do with it. Whether it did or not, this marriage she somehow, in some fleeting way, wished was real, because she knew she really couldn't do better than a man who would put so much on the line for her as Link had and was still doing.

Still, she knew that now, when they were alone like this, really wasn't the time for such thoughts, so she thought of something else to bring up quickly in order to distract herself.

"So, now that we're married," she glanced around the room, "we need better drapes and some nice flowers to spruce the place up a bit."

"Yes dear," Link chuckled out, just glad they were getting the rested breather they needed. He watched her leaned back against her elbows, grinning playfully before she looked back to him. "You know, we should probably tell Kioson the truth. I mean, we did let them perform the ceremony to make them happy, but we also wanted to be able to enter the volcano, and I feel bad for misleading them like that when they took it so seriously."

Those words made Link sigh out a breath. He knew she was right though, as much of a small, white lie as it had been, the truth was better than letting, well, at least the Magistrate go on thinking that they were actually intending on marrying.

"I guess you're right. Considering we need to get to that Temple, we'd better do so sooner rather than later. I think it might be the best idea to tell him before they really start celebrating. During the party might ruin it all for him."

"Or we could tell him afterwards, let him have his fun first," she suggested.

They considered the options, and Link shook his head, "I think better before he does. After all, we'll be stuck here that much longer if we wait."

"Hmm, maybe you're right, I guess that might take a while. Gorons seem to have a lot of energy after all. The party could last all night, and I'd like to get back out into the sun and fresh air sometime soon myself."

"Then," Link said, lifting Zelda up so that he could stand, making her gasp because she'd had no warning, gripping his arms in the process. Smirking at the sound, Link sat her onto her own feet, and went on, "I guess we should go see him."

---

Kioson was frowning while the couple he'd wed only an hour or so ago stood before him now. "You mean you really didn't want to be married?"

"I'm sorry, Kioson, we didn't mean to deceive you," Zelda told him, giving an apologetic look to the Goron sitting behind his large stone desk, Link standing next to Zelda on the opposite side while they talked.

The dark skinned Goron pouted a slight bit, "Then _why_ did you do it?"

"Well," Link started, somewhat unsure how to explain it to the big guy.

When he hesitated, Zelda went on for him, "We heard you were very unhappy because no one comes to visit anymore. When we found out that getting married would improve your mood, we decided to go through with it just so the Gorons would have a reason to celebrate."

Kioson looked back and forth between the two of them after Zelda explained this. "You did it just to make us happy? Why would you care if we're happy or not?"

Zelda frowned and looked over at Link, the next part of their explanation taking a good bit of courage for her to spit out. But Link put his hand on her shoulder to stop her, and told Kioson himself. Looking over at the Goron, hoping he wasn't smashed by one of the large fists sitting on the top of the desk in just another moment since Kioson was starting to look a good bit sad again, he started giving him his explanation.

"Because we didn't think you'd let us go into the volcano if you were in such a bad mood. We want to go see what we can do about the monsters that have been plaguing your city for so long."

After admitting the words, Link had the urge to put his hands up and try to block the fist of doom he felt was coming, but he resisted that urge, and just waited along with Zelda to see what Kioson would say. When the Goron stayed quiet, Zelda added, "You see, we saw the guards upstairs by the entrance, and they told us everything about how no one could go in or out unless they had your permission. We thought that maybe letting you marry us would give you a reason to be happy again, and maybe then you'd let us pass through. We didn't know how seriously your people took these weddings."

After listening to her, Kioson finally stood up and turned to walk to the side, his large arms folded behind his back as if in thought. They couldn't tell however if he was angry or not. His face was already stern looking because of how big and burly he was, so there was no real telling just by looking at him.

Patiently, they waited for him to reply. Finally, when Kioson didn't say anything right away, Link told him, "If you don't think we're strong enough then–"

Kioson stopped him. "Hold on just a moment. So you're saying you were willing to have us marry you just to pass through the volcano entrance, as well as to make us happy? Are you two even in love at all?" He looked back to see what they would say.

Link and Zelda exchanged a glance, and Zelda told him, "We do, we've known each other all of our lives, we're just good friends though. But what's important here is that we lied to you."

"Ah, I see, blossoming romance," Kioson went on, nodding his head, turning to walk the other way behind his desk. Link and Zelda decided not to correct him, each of them unwitting to the fact that the other was currently in denial over any type of attraction to their friend, which actually made Kioson right. As the Goron walked on, he added, "It takes a person of strong character to admit that to me. Especially when I'm so much bigger than you are." Turning once more, he looked at the both of them. "Not to mention everyone's happier now than I've seen them in a long time. That makes me feel good alone, even if you lied to me."

Zelda cringed, telling him, "I'm very sorry. We didn't meant to insult you."

"Oh I know that," Kioson said as if it'd been the farthest thought from his mind. He looked at Link then and waved his hand, "So you're wanting to go into the volcano and prove how much of a man you are to her, is that it?"

Link started shaking his head, "No sir, she's actually coming in there with me."

This news really seemed to confuse Kioson, staring back and forth between the both of them. "You want to take your lady into a volcano?" He got quiet.

Link lifted his brows and glanced at Zelda before looking back to the Goron before him now, when suddenly the Goron started laughing loudly. Link wasn't exactly sure how to take that, and his face turned to one of annoyance, "Hey, I might not be big, but I'm pretty tough."

"I know that, kid," Kioson replied, "otherwise you never would have told someone as big as _me_ the truth like that. As far as I'm concerned, you're both free to pass, but only on two conditions."

Link and Zelda both gave the Goron a surprised look, wondering if the Goron had really just granted them permission so easily, but he did say on two conditions. Link tilted his head, "What's that?"

"One, you don't tell anyone about lying over wanting to be married. I just want them all to have a reason to have some fun. We don't get many of those anymore."

"Done," Zelda nodded her head at him with a smile, thinking that term would be easy enough to fill, not to mention she thought it was nice of their chief to want his people to be content. But there was still another condition to fill, and so she asked, "What would the other one be?"

They were both prepared to hear something like telling him the truth about why they wanted into the volcano, or maybe giving him something they had that he wanted, but they were both mistaken as Kioson told them, "Well, if you're going into the volcano, and you happen to find any of those blue rocks, the really shiny ones, bring them back to us. They're rare, and we can't go looking for them like we used to without risking too much."

Zelda tilted her head forward and grinned, and Link smirked at the Goron, nodding his head. Somehow it didn't seem so strange, considering their interactions with the race so far, that his condition would be as simple as that, and the two agreed to it immediately. "Alright, it's a deal. We'll bring back the blue ones." Link replied to him confidently.

Kioson started smiling as he sat down, then he snapped his fingers, "Oh, and the red ones too, but," he shrugged, "they're harder to find."

---

Standing before the doors that lead into the volcano, watching them open as the Goron guards, strong enough to pull the heavy devices to, Link could feel a particular heat coming through the doors as they began to split apart. Definitely a volcano, he thought to himself. Looking back at Kioson, the Magistrate told them both, "If you happen to find the source of the volcano's anger, and destroy it, we'll all come down to visit you where you live sometime. We won't be so preoccupied with trying to keep the mountain safer for people and ourselves anymore."

Link nodded his head slowly, turning to look back at the tall Goron, "That would be fun, we could all celebrate, right?"

"Yes!," Kioson grinned. "I miss the earthy rocks of the ground too. It will be good fun for us all no doubt."

Zelda turned a smile up to the large Goron, then she waved a hand and asked, "Before we go, I need to know something. I know we both showed strength of character in telling you the truth, but aren't you in the least curious about why we're going into the volcano at all?"

Slowly, Kioson reached out his hand for hers as if to shake it when she asked. Zelda reached her left hand up since he was using his, and when he took her hand, he turned it over so that he could see the mark on it. "I saw this when you two were getting married earlier. Link has one as well, doesn't he?"

Zelda nodded at him, allowing Kioson to look her mark of the Triforce over. As he did, and then gently released her hand, he told her, "A very trusted woman told me she had a vision that soon, my people may fall into troubling times, and that someone would come to help us one day. Her name was Myriad, and she told me that her vision showed her they would both be travelers with good intentions despite a few false bearings, bearing golden marks on their bodies like some of us have. This has been several long years ago, but I trusted Myriad, and when our people did fall under trouble from the volcano, I believed her completely. Still do now too."

Zelda couldn't help her smile. Myriad seemed to have connections far and wide. It was no wonder that Dragmire had sought her abilities as he did, to the point of sealing her inside of the Sacred Realm completely just to keep her out of his hair. Kioson got her attention again however by saying, "She didn't know what the marks would be of, but she just knew they would both be marked in the same manner. I think it's kind of funny how you Hylians have visions but can't see everything in them," he chuckled.

Zelda smiled over the comment, replying, "Some things no one knows."

"You're right. But go now. I'm anxious to see what the two of you can do."

With a nod, Zelda told Kioson goodbye for the time being, and Link, turning to go with her, added, "Take care of our horses while we're gone, okay?"

"We will," Kioson called back, "be careful in there, and keep your eyes open for the rocks!"

The guards were shutting the doors again, and hearing their words, one of them looked up excitedly and asked, "Horses!?"


	21. Temple of Fire

_**Author's Note**__: Just a short note to let everyone know I'm sorry for the short delay in this chapter. With that said, I also wanted to thank the readers so far for giving me feedback! You're really helping me tremendously to keep my confidence in myself and my writing XD!_

_---_

_Chapter 20 - Temple of Fire_

Humid and sweltering, the walls were dark as pitch black night, and Link pulled his hat off for a moment in order to fan himself with it, glancing toward Zelda to see how she was fairing. Despite the fact that whey were nearing the actual volcano, they were still inside of one of the chasms, so they couldn't see the sky from where they currently were. But it wasn't dark at all, there were pits below, far below, that proved they were over lava, the glow of the molten rock casting a dim light throughout the area.

Zelda had pulled a band from her pouch and tied her hair back and off of her neck, then took a slow breath and looked back at Link. "It's...pretty warm, to say the least."

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Link smiled as he headed toward her. "I think we could use a few fur coats, I mean you know, just incase there's a cool breeze."

His lighthearted joking definitely helped in the dark chasm they were moving through, heading up a slope now. "Maybe it's just because of the cave," Link suggested.

"Do you think the heat's getting trapped in here and it's cooler up ahead?"

He nodded, continuing on, "I hope so. Otherwise we might get exhausted because of the heat. Keep your mouth shut and breath through you nose."

Zelda nodded, making sure to keep her mouth shut like he'd suggested. After all, he'd lived in the desert for a long time, so he'd know what he was talking about when it came to dealing with intense heats, but somehow, Zelda could only imagine this might've been a little different from the dessert.

Eventually, as they walked along, Link saw a blue stone in the wall, glinting softly. Walking over to it, they could see it was set inside of a holder, as if there for a particular reason. Watching it, Link thought about the rocks that Kioson had asked them to look for, and while it didn't seem to be that they'd come across one just settled into the wall like this, he had to ask, "Is this one of the stones that Kioson was talking about?"

Zelda headed in behind him and took a look at the gem, and she shook her head, "This is a carved stone. I wouldn't think Goron's would eat it, but, I could be wrong."

"When are you ever wrong?" Link asked the question with a little smirk as he leaned against the wall while she knelt down to inspect it. Taking in a breath, he told her, "We should move. It's starting to get warmer."

Zelda, while listening to him, had slowly lifted her hand and touched the stone. When she did, it flashed briefly, and she sighed in a quick breath, her eyes closing. Link, seeing a smile lighting her face, narrowed his brows in confusion and knelt down next to her as she told him, "It feels like a cool breeze over my skin."

"What?" Glancing at the gem in the wall, he reached over and touched it himself. As he did, what felt like a gust of coolness washed over him, and he took a breath as his body cooled down immensely. "That was nice," he said before he let his eyes open to see her watching him with a little smile on her face.

"It's probably something set up a long time ago by the Gorons, to help keep the temperature down. I wonder how long the effect will last?"

Standing back up and helping Zelda in the process, Link shook his head unknowingly. "It will probably wear off slowly, and there's more up ahead," he motioned for her to look and see. When she turned to glance back in the direction they'd been walking, she saw another stone like the one they'd just touched a good ways up the rocky chasm, not too close, and hard to see from the distance, like a tiny sky blue dot glowing softly, but it was there nonetheless.

Link went on, "They'll come in handy. Come on."

With a nod, Zelda followed behind him, staying close as they walked, keeping her footing in check. The path wound upward along the wall, and eventually they reached a gap in the so-called road that was easily jumped over, but they could both only hope there weren't many of them, and if there were, that they weren't too big. Finally, however, they came to the edge of the tunnel, and looked ahead of themselves. Both of them were able to see up and out to the sky now, evening time, the atmosphere a dark golden yellow in tone. But that wasn't what caught their complete attention.

Ahead of them rested a broken bridge that lead to a huge platform of rock settled within the molten lava. Sitting on its top, as if embedded into the walls of the mountain itself in a baroque type of architecture completely with large columns supporting a slanted top, was the entrance to the Temple of Fire.

The two of them looked out across the sea of lava that barred their path from it, and Zelda asked, "Was that broken bridge the only way across?" She wanted to know because the gap was too far for her to pass over with him by teleporting.

Link narrowed his brows, trying to see if there were anymore paths to take, and he spied one in the distance, a wooden and rope bridge that only appeared to still be in tact, connecting across the ways to the rocky wall. He let his eyes follow it, and noticed that the path it was connected to led directly to where they were standing.

"No, over there," he told her, reaching to take her hand and head toward the structure. Once he'd made it, he had a closer look and noticed that the bridge appeared to be fine and sturdy. So he reached for the ropes, inspecting them. They seemed to give a good bit of support, and realizing that looks could be deceiving, he glanced back at Zelda.

"I'm going to cross it first. If it's safe to pass, I'll come back to get you."

Zelda frowned at him, wanting to argue, but somehow she knew it would be pointless to, so she simply nodded her head at him. Watching him carefully, he started to cross the bridge, feeling a slight waver in the structure beneath his feet, but he continued on without fear, making sure the whole thing was sturdy enough to be crossed without a problem. The bridge itself had to be almost forty feet long or so, so it was a good ways to cross, and once he got to the middle, he looked back, giving her a nod to let her know that so far, everything was fine.

Moving on, Link nearly reached the end, standing a third of the way from it, and he looked back, calling out, "Let me come back for you. It's not going to fall. Just wait for me though incase."

Zelda smiled and replied so he could hear her, knowing he might not detect just a nod of her head from that distance, "Alright, I'm waiting, your majesty."

He'd smirked over her little joke, working his way back across the bridge, when something caught his eye on the tall rock wall behind Zelda. Narrowing his brows, he stopped, not even halfway back yet, and pulled out his bow, placing an arrow into the shooting string and pulling it back. Zelda saw this and heard the arrow whizzing through the air as she turned around to see tektites climbing down the wall behind her, and there was more than two or three this time.

"Zelda, come on!"

One of the spider-like monsters jumped from the wall and toward her, and Zelda moved out of the way quickly, onto the bridge like Link had suggested she do. As she went, she pulled out the dagger that Link had handed her before in the Goron City, just incase she needed it, and continued to move. Two of the monsters had landed where she'd been standing before, and one of them leapt high into the air, coming down toward her. An arrow knocked it back however, fired from Link's bow, and Zelda stopped for only a moment to look back when she realized something had happened.

"It's alright, keep going," Link told her when she stopped, moving in closer to her in anxiousness to get across the bridge finally.

"No, wait!," Zelda called out, and when Link was about to ask her why, he noticed why. A larger tektite had just jumped down from the wall above the bridge, moving through the air over Zelda to come down toward the wooden bridge between the two of them, separating them completely. As this happened, Link reached for his sword and shield, pulling both up to the ready as the beast faced him for a fight.

The bridge itself had shaken when the creature landed, and a rope beneath it where neither Link nor Zelda could see began to snap. Zelda simply looked ahead, seeing that Link had used his shield to knock away one of the creatures swiped legs before attacking it viciously with his sword, slicing the blade through its head, and then she glanced back to see more of the creatures following them onto the bridge.

Another snap sounded, and Zelda glanced down, having heard it that time, knowing just a split second before the rope suddenly broke what was about to happen, her eyes going wide. Link himself felt the snap just as he'd stabbed and killed the creature trying to attack them, and he felt the wooden beams beneath his feet growing lax from the relief of their strain against the now broken ropes.

As the bridge began to fall, he reached for one of the beams he'd been standing on, grabbing hold of it, trying to tell Zelda to do the same thing, but he wasn't sure if she'd heard him as his half of the bridge went careening downwards, swinging against the rocky while he hung there. Coming to a halt jerked him about, but his grip on the beam remained tight, forming a type of ladder for him to climb up to the top again. Once he'd managed to steady himself as the jolting died down, leaving the bridge to swing slowly back and forth, he looked back toward the other wall in worry. It felt like his heart had dropped into his gut.

Where was she? He couldn't see her hanging on the other side, and his eyes searched frantically. "Zelda!!"

"I'm up here," she spoke from just above him, and Link turned his head to look up quickly. She was standing above the newly broken bridge on the surface of the rocky platform where the steps leading up into the temple was located. Hanging there still, seeing her staring down at him, he wasn't exactly sure what to say, and she simply reached down and told him, "Climb up so I can reach you."

Just a few moments later, Link had taken her hand, and she helped to pull him up completely, coming to rest on his knees next to her. While she'd been about to remark that it was a good thing she'd heard the ropes snapping when she did, she was interrupted, as well as startled, by suddenly being pulled into Link's side.

He hugged her tightly. For a moment there, when he didn't spy her on the other side of the snapped bridge, he honestly thought he might've lost her. Zelda grew quiet as he did so, getting the feeling she might've actually scared him for once and that he needed to just hug her for a moment, finally lifting her head back to look at his face, and she smiled up at him. "I'm sorry Link."

"No, it's alright," he grumbled, "I just...," with a deep breath he shook his head.

"You just got a little scared?"

"Yeah," he admitted, "I did." Pushing himself up to stand, helping Zelda up as well, he figured out on his own what she'd done, and told her, "I almost forgot you could teleport. I'm just glad you were close enough to make it across."

"Well, I was going to say it was a good thing I heard the ropes snapping, otherwise I wouldn't have done so in time." She shook her head, looking over at the broken bridge, sighing out in addition, "I guess there's no going back now."

"No," Link shook his head. "Only one way to go."

With those words, they both looked up at the entrance to the Fire Temple. The stairs leading up into the arched door looked somewhat narrow, another of those blue crystals they'd spotted sitting in the wall next to it, and they wondered what exactly could await them inside of the belly of that place. The only good news was that Link had been right, and the heat wasn't so bad under the opening of the volcano.

"Let's go destroy that orb," Link started, "and get out of here."

---

All things being equal, the inside of the Temple located so close to the Goron City was just as inhospitable as the Gorons had been welcoming. The cooling gems they'd found were much less plentiful inside, and while the heat wasn't as bad inside of the Temple, it still had Link and Zelda sweltering. While it had seemed rather quiet to the two companions at first when they'd entered, that fact soon proved to them both that the term 'quiet before the storm' bore weight.

It shocked the both of them how much more fierce inside of the temple the monsters they ran into were than those they'd come across thus far in their journeys. The closer they got, it seemed the more difficult things became. Both of them knew it was due to the fact that the evil infesting the Temple had been there for a while now with nothing to oppose it, festering, which made it so much more difficult to take it down.

Not only were there monsters, but there were also traps, and having to watch their steps, one was set off by enemies approaching them that imprisoned Zelda inside of a cage of spikes, closing in on her. The time happened upon them when she was a big too magically exhausted to teleport through the bars, and the release lever was a good distance away from them. To top it off, enemies barred Link's path, making the call a close one.

Zelda had watched him as the walls continued to slowly close in on her, witnessing firsthand the extent of her friends determination and strength as he took his enemies down with a ferocity she was happy wasn't directed at herself. Seeing this skill, despite the fact that her life was currently threatened, gave her the strongest of hopes that they would both live past the dangers this Temple posed to them and emerge victorious in the end.

Link had finally reached the lever with his enemies defeated, pulling it down, which opened the bars, and Zelda pushed herself out of harms way before the spiked walls, which didn't stop closing in on her, could kill her. Smiling in relief as he saw she was fine, pushing herself back up to grumble while straightening her skirts out, they headed onward.

Through the next corridor was a long hallway that led to what appeared to be a locked room, sealed with magic from the looks of it, and before it stood a statue with an eye settled atop it, turning slowly in circles. Both Link and Zelda watched it spin past their direction and around the other way, unseeing the two there just out of it's sight, and Link looked over at her.

"Do you think it's watching for someone else to see?"

Shaking her head, Zelda told him, "It's hard to say. But the door on the other looks as if it may be sealed with magic perhaps. I'd have to get closer to be able to tell."

"Then I'll go first, and see what I can tell about it."

Zelda nodded in order to let him go on ahead first, fisting her hands in quiet wait while wondering about Link always going first it seemed, even if she wasn't as physically strong as he was. Link, on the other hand, watched the eye turning slowly, moved closer when the back of it was facing him, and when it turned away from the sealed door ahead of it, he moved toward the door quickly. Reaching, he took the knobs into his hands and tried to turn them, but they wouldn't budge. There was a symbol on the door however, and Link recognized it, the same symbol as on the back of the amulet that Zelda wore, that he himself had worn for ten years, but he didn't have time to consider it when he heard his name.

"Link, watch out! It sees you!"

As he'd grabbed the knobs, the eye had sensed his presence and turned much more quickly than it normally would have. Hearing those words, Link looked back to see the eye staring directly at him now, followed by the sound of something flaring up. Link didn't wait around to find out what it was, jumping out of the way as the eye shot a powerful beam of energy at him which slammed into the door, yet didn't mar it due to the magical energy binding it shut. The eye followed him as he landed, then rolled out of the way before another shot could hit him, moving toward the entrance where Zelda waited until he'd managed to get out of the way of the beam's line of sight.

"Okay, that was annoyed," he sighed as he stood up straight and reached over for her hand. While he did this, he pulled his shield off and onto his other arm, adding, "Pull out your amulet. There's a crest on that door, the symbol of your family."

Hearing the words, Zelda reached up to her collar and found the chain of her amulet around her neck, tugging it out to rest against her chest. "Do you think it will open the seal?"

"I'm not sure, but it's worth a shot. Come on, while it's turned away from us."

Once he'd told her that, he moved onto the room with her, holding onto her hand, his shield up just incase they were spotted since the beams the eye shot tended to move pretty swiftly, and he worked his way around the statue once again. Zelda pulled her amulet off on the way there, and once they made it to the door, she looked it over while Link watched the eye.

"If it gets too close to seeing us, I'll distract it."

"Okay," Zelda replied, and she pressed her fingers against the door, drawing them down, finding and indentation. The shape seemed to be just right, and as she lifted her amulet off of her neck in order to fit the back of it into the beveled area, she told him so. "I think it's a key after all."

"The eye's coming back," Link warned her as she figured it out.

She'd just placed the amulet into the indentation and removed her hands. "It's breaking the seal now," she replied, hearing the whir of magical energies as if they were dying away.

"Tell it to break it faster," Link replied, backing up to the door as the eye turned again, looking straight at them once more.

Zelda took the knob in her hand as she pulled her amulet from the lock and opened it just as the whirring started, about to inform him that she'd gotten it when she was surprised as Link suddenly pushed her through the door and into the next room. A beam of energy shot through the area they'd been standing in right after he'd done so and blew a small chunk out of the floor.

Landing on Zelda's back, pushing himself up, Link peered around the new room they were in, in order to spot danger they might've jumped into headfirst, but as he looked at the large room, a few columns settled around a baroque architecture that matched the rest of the Temple, he realized the room seemed to be bereft of any type of life for the time being. It was then that he looked back down at Zelda and asked, "Are you okay?"

Nodding her head, Zelda looked up herself to inspect their new surroundings. Pushing himself up as she did so, Link reached for her hand and pulled her to her feet. Thanking him, Zelda pulled her amulet up and placed it back around her neck to rest against her chest, and as she lifted her head up again, she heard Link's voice.

"Look up there."

Turning, she looked in the direction he was pointing, able to see a large, blackened orb settled atop a pedestal raised above the room on a column out of their reach. It looked like a giant marble, though it seemed to somehow be transparent, flashing taking place inside of it as if there might have been clouds of lightening and fire there.

"That's the orb," Zelda pointed out aloud, "but how do we reach it?" With curiosity in mind, she began stepping forward. Link took her hand to stop her though, and she didn't bother to look back at him, simply stepping back when he'd done so. She'd gotten a bad feeling in that moment, and she shook her head. It was in that moment that Link spoke what she'd been thinking of.

"This is too easy."

"Well I'm not staying behind for you to inspect," Zelda informed him. "Not this time."

"Fair enough," Link responded, taking a step forward, "but you're staying where I can see you all the same."

"Deal," she told him, a small smile lining her lips.

Link returned the little smile when he heard a sudden shriek signaling that they really weren't alone, the smile fading into a more serious expression as he drew his sword and shield without thought. As he'd done that, he and Zelda both looked up to where the sound had come from. The ceiling was somewhat dark, making it hard to see. But something had started moving about, and Link stepped forward as his eyes caught sight of movement, a shadow looming overhead of them both.

It was then that an eye opened, and a shrill roar sounded as the creature pushed itself away from the roof and down toward them swiftly, apparently fairly agile for it's large size. Both of them jumped out of the way as the monster landed close to them, spreading a massive pair of wings that looked as if they could belong to a bat. Two legs were attached to the bottom of an ovular body, a long tail whipping behind it. It's red skin looked somewhat scaley and it had one large crimson eye along with a fanged mouth of teeth drooling saliva beneath it. The legs looked as if they might have served as arms as well due to the toes, which looked more like fingers, long with sharp talons on the end of each, as well as opposing thumbs.

As it leered toward them menacingly, Link shook his head slowly. "So this is what was hiding?" The creature lashed it's tail about behind itself before it let another loud shriek and lifted its wings, taking to the air quickly.

Zelda lifted her arm as the wind gusted past them due to the monster taking flight, then lowered it slowly, replying, "Oh! His breath," she cringed, "it smells like sulfur."

"So I noticed," Link replied, his tone a bit bland, and then had a thought. Sulfur? Glancing to the side, he spoke, "Zelda, don't let it get over you, stick close to the columns."

Zelda had already come to the same conclusion. This creature probably had fire breathing abilities, and if she were near a column where it couldn't fly close to, she'd be safer, looking over to see Link having freed his bow, aiming and shooting at the monsters back. The arrows managed to pierce the body as the creature turned to fly in the opposite direction toward them, shrilling down at the ground, a line of fire shooting out of its mouth and across the floor quickly, causing Link to jump to dodge it.

In doing so, he had an idea about how to get the creature to land - shoot for it's eye. If it couldn't see, it probably wouldn't fly. Moving off toward the center of the room to stand on a design plastered across the floor of the Triforce, he narrowed his brows while the Cygon turned in mid flight after attacking him.

The line of fire it had released down onto Link shot past the position behind the column where Zelda was standing, and she spotted the creature flying past her in the process. As the flames it left upon the floor died away, smaller fires started drifting through the air emerging from it, and slowly they began to lumber toward her. The flames appeared to have menacing faces leering out from inside of them down at her, and Zelda narrowed her brows and lifted her hands.

Her palms began to glow green, and as the flames neared her, a barrier light up which was surrounding her body, causing them to disperse in form against the magic she was using. Once they were taken care of, weakening the shield she'd put up just a bit, she turned and looked over to see that Link had just taken aim at the monster with an arrow as it was nearing him, letting go of the weapon, the shooting string propelling it forward. As the monster flew toward him, his pace fast, it was about to unleash more fire down upon the young Hylian when the pointed tip of the arrow embedded itself directly into the top of the creatures eye.

The piercing pain the monster felt stopped the line of fire from rushing Link and he jumped out of the way, allowing it's body to crash into the floor where he'd been standing. Turning in the air, Link came down behind the Cygon as it lay upon the floor in a heap, stunned from the pain and being temporarily blinded, wasting no time and rushing the now vulnerable monster. Lifting his sword, he tore through the monsters body with a yell of exertion, swiping his blade back the opposite way after the first strike to do it even more damage than the first blow had dealt it alone.

The monster became angry as he was wounded, and thrashed it's tail at Link. He turned as it whipped at him, the appendage slamming into Link's Hylian shield, which protected his body, but the force sent him flying away while his opponent worked it's own way back to it's feet. Rolling toward the column that Zelda was faithfully stationed behind like he'd instructed her, Link came to a stop on his back. Zelda moved from her position and toward him, taking his shoulders and helping him to sit up while he shook his head before they both watched the monster as it moved, standing back up.

It reached up with one of it's hand-feet, and grabbed the arrow sticking out of it's eye in an attempt to remove it. As it did so, Zelda looked at Link as she heard him asking, "Hey, are you alright?"

"You're the one taking the beating here," she informed him, helping him to stand up, "I'm fine. Here," reaching to her belt, she pulled her vial of potion out, putting it into his pouch. "I know yours is almost gone."

With a sigh, Link didn't have time to argue because the beast had just gotten the arrow freed from it's eye, which meant he'd be ready to fight again. "I'm giving it back after this fight, I just need one more shot at him," Link called back to her as he took off and sheathed his sword because their enemy was taking flight again.

Zelda watched him running back into the fight as she backed away toward the column once more, somehow knowing that the monster might be attacking with its fiery breath again wile trying to make this as easy on Link as possible by not giving him too much to worry about if she threw herself directly into the fray. As she found the column, something laying on the floor caught her attention, two of Link's arrows, and she glanced over at Link, more specifically his quiver, in order to see that these were the only arrows he had.

Gasping, she called his name, but a resounding roar from the monster drowned out her voice. Link had already pulled his bow from his back, ready to use it without the knowledge that his arrows had fallen from his quiver, moving across the floor to try and draw any fire it created away from Zelda, and seeing this, Zelda went for the arrows, grabbing them herself so that she could return them to him.

Coming to a stop as the monster let forth another line of fire behind him which he'd managed to dodge, Link spun around from a roll he'd performed and stood up, reaching to his quiver to grab one of his last two arrows. His brows narrowed however when his hand grasped at nothing but air. He must have lost them, and that's when he glanced up and saw Zelda with the arrows in her hand, heading toward him. What's more, the line of fire Link had evaded had birthed more of the floating fires which rose up, and drifted slowly toward him.

The last thing Link noticed amongst all of this was the monster heading in behind Zelda, turning its wings as if ready to swoop in on her.

H had to come up with something fast to keep this from going badly. Pulling his shield out, Link held it before himself and rushed headfirst into the flames trying to hunt him down, their bodies dispersing away as his shield hit them, and then he lowered his arm, grabbing his bow in the same hand his shield was on in order to hold onto it before he unsheathed his blade with his opposite hand.

Zelda, seeing him coming toward her, then noticed the shadow of the Cygon engulfing her, and she looked back just in time to see the clawed hands of the creature above her, reaching out. As it was lowering to the perfect height, Link jumped for it, careening toward it's body with his sword above his head, the tip pointed toward the monster, which he slammed into it's skin near the mouth, making it screech and drift back from Zelda who'd ducked in order to keep from being grabbed by the claws.

Hearing the monster scream, Zelda lifted her head, just as Link's bow fell before her. Turning, she looked up to see the creature righting itself in the air as Link hung onto his weapon, the Master Sword still embedded in the Cygon's side, using one of the monster's two limbs to try and keep his footing. As this happened, she glanced back toward Link's bow and grabbed it since she had his arrows anyway, and then stood up.

Link struggled to keep his balance, pulling his sword out of the creature and swiftly pusheing himself up so that he was on top of it's head. Once he'd done so, he lifted his sword and prepared to jab it downward into the single eye that was leering at him, blind the monster completely, when suddenly the monster took off.

Link lost his footing and fell, yelling instinctively as he did so, but he didn't find himself slamming into the floor like he thought he might've. Instead, he felt the creature grabbing him in its claws while he fell through the air, and it shrieked as it flew across the room, over Zelda's head with a gust of wind that blew her hair and skirt back as she watched with worry.

The Cygon headed directly toward a wall, holding its foot before itself, the same one with Link in it. With a good bit of force, it slammed Link into the wall.

Grunting as he hit, his shield falling to the floor, some of the debris of the wall falling away and over him, Link managed to open his eyes and stare into the singular orb the beast possessed. Pain wracked his limbs and his head, but he knew he couldn't give up. After all, he had the perfect opportunity right now. Link went to lift his sword and take advantage of it, ready to stab it in the eye if he could just muster the strength and speed. But he suddenly stopped as the creature squeezed him, though it wasn't due to the pain that had caused him completely.

An odd pain had began surging through his body in the tight situation he'd been caught in. It was as if the evil the monster possessed could be felt now that Link was so close to it, as if he could taste the malevolence on his tongue, but that wasn't the only thing. Spikes of pain seemed to rip through his mind, glimpses and visions of someone he'd never seen before with his own two eyes yet, and he heard a voice.

_So you're the one..._

In his head, he could see flashes of a black stallion, the rider upon his back wielding a broadsword with a slightly rounded tip.

_The savior of Hyrule?_

More flashes ensued the words, ripping through Link again as he grunted, warring with the pain he felt, the face of the evil he fought now on the tip of his brain, and somehow, Link knew exactly whom it was.

Ganondorf.

He cringed as the painful glimpses that shot through his mind seemed to paralyze him, the creature holding him captive opening it's mouth which began to glow as if to char Link to ashes right then and there. Still, he could hear that voice.

_You're not truly capable of winning this, you know that. Your very quest to find me will be that which allows me to raze Hyrule from this realm and erect a new existence for my own._

Link didn't understand what he meant by that completely, grunting as he fought with the dark images, just as the breath of fire was about to incinerate him.

Suddenly the creature shrieked jolted, turning it's head before the fire could burn Link to ashes, shooting off toward a corner of the ceiling that brought down debris while it turned to look back. Beyond it's flapping wings, and through his somewhat blurred vision as the images in his head suddenly broke away, Link could see Zelda standing on the floor below them both. She'd landed an arrow directly in the monster's back, and was now pulling the second arrow up.

With the creatures distraction, Link took only a moment before he reacted and brought up his sword. With a grunt of force, he stabbed it into the creatures mouth, using all of his strength left to hold the creature's face toward Zelda.

"Do it!," he yelled to her, "aim for the eye!"

Zelda hadn't worried with the first shot. The creature's body was blocking Link so there was no way she could hit him. But she had a good chance now to end this with his help, and she took in a breath. Link had stabbed his sword into the monster's mouth to hold it still just long enough for her to get the second shot off, and she steadied her fingers while stretching the shooting string back, energy flowing from her and into the wooden weapon before she released it, letting the arrow fly.

Cutting through the air, the arrow spun as it headed on a direct course toward the Cygon, then slammed directly into its target. The monster's eye was once again blinded completely, and the grip it held on Link loosened, letting him slip down the wall and hit the floor. Rolling to his arms and knees with a pant of breath, he found his shield near himself, and he wasn't deaf to the sounds the creature made as it screamed in anguish as he reached for it to replace on his back once again along with his sword.

The monster crashed into a column, breaking the structure to bits before it hit the ground, bringing chunks of marble down onto itself in the process before it's body stilled. Finally, it's screams died away, the crashing noises having drawn Link's attention, turning his head to look behind himself at the body now.

Zelda had rushed over to Link and knelt down in the meantime. Feeling her placing her hand on his upper arm and one on his back, he shook his head in order to reassure her as he pushed himself to his knees and breathed out, "I'm fine."

He granted her a little smile to prove it, and aside from the dirt and dust covering him now, she could see he wasn't really much worse for the wear, though she got the feeling he'd be a good bit sore later. She didn't have time to comment to him though, hearing a loud whir sounding from the body of the monster they'd just slain together, and both of them glanced over, watching as it began to disperse away, leaving in its place a bright light that just drifted where it was, completely unmoving.

Both of them stood up, watching the floating light quietly. Out of curiosity, Link walked toward the light slowly. Zelda followed him, just as curious as he was, and she watched as he reached out, touching the glowing orb.

As his fingers reached it, it began to disperse, smaller lights of the same color forming out of it and over his gauntlets, forming silvery white metal on the backs of each of his hands, which bore the same design that his gauntlets themselves had. Once the fast moving flickers of light had ceased, the new gauntlets in place, he looked over at Zelda with a somewhat confused expression.

Zelda, seeing his expression, suggested, "It must be a part of the power this Temple held, consumed by the evil the monsters here were birthed by."

Link nodded, unable to explain it himself, but somehow he knew she was right, and that with this new enhancement, he could break even a boulder with a punch of his fist. That's when he glanced over at the alter held high off of the ground where they couldn't reach it, containing the orb of magic that Dragmire had used in order to consume the spirit essence the Temple contained within it.

"I think we have an answer to this riddle." He headed over to the column the alter was settled upon and balled up his fist. Zelda watched him pulling his arm back, and then slamming his hand into the marble in order to make it break.

Cracks began forming in the structure as his fist slammed into it, and he stepped back in order to watch. The column began to crumble with loud crashes of sound not a few moments later, tumbling down and bringing the alter, as well as the orb, with it. Once it hit the ground, the pedestal containing the orb began to fall over, tipping to it's side. The orb then landed, crushing a good bit of the floor beneath itself.

"Well," Zelda sighed out softly, "that solves one puzzle. Now I've got one to deal with."

Link looked over at her as she said that, then began to step toward the large structure, about half as tall as she was, which had grown since it was first created and absorbed all of the spirit energy surrounding it. The flashes of light contained within it still was a testament to this, and she remembered Myriad's words, that she would know how to destroy the orb when the time came. Balling her fists, she somehow knew that Myriad had been right. Somehow, somewhere inside her, she knew what she needed to do.

Slowly, she lifted her hand toward the dark orb, and heard Link's voice coming from behind her.

"Zelda..."

He'd trailed off, having spoken her name uncertainly, as if he wasn't sure touching the orb would be such a good idea. As he watched her back, he heard her saying, "It's alright, Link. Myriad was right. I know what I'm doing."

With a sigh of breath, he knew he had to trust her, and allowed her to continue, but he couldn't help his protective nature. For now, wiping a smudge of dirt from his cheek, all he could do was wait and watch. This was her show for now.

Her fingers neared the black orb, slowly, finally making contact with it, and when it did, she closed her eyes. She could feel the energy pulsing from within it, the evil the barrier was created from, as if hungry for whatever it could find to suck into itself. As she held her hand there, the amulet she wore around her neck began to glow, the stone flashing light as she kept her contact with the orb, a bright light starting to glow from beneath her fingertips sounding a low hum that began to grow in strength and volume.

Suddenly, a shockwave burst through the room from beneath her hand, which caused the walls to begin shaking. The orb started to waver, and Zelda continued concentrating on the task of destroying the orb at hand, seemingly ignoring the chaos that had begun around her.

Link watched, and he looked at the back of her left hand, seeing that the symbol of the Triforce she sported was glowing, the orb she was destroying vibrating, the sounds growing harder and louder in intensity, until it suddenly cracked once, then twice. Light started seeping from those cracks, brighter and brighter until the structure exploded, releasing that light throughout the room, growing so bright, Link had to hold up his arm to block it out.

Everything went white and faded away, and neither of them could see or hear a thing. Amidst the shaking and the chaos of the exploding orb, the loud whir of energy that had taken place suddenly drew to a high note and then the light shot upwards in a bright beam before diminishing. It left nothing behind, the spirit energy released, as well as Link and Zelda both laying unconscious on the floor.

Around them, the darkness that had engulfed the Temple of Fire began to fade away, extinguishing into nothing, the spirit essence that had been imprisoned for so long returning to flourish as it should have done so all along, ending the dark reign on Death Mountain.

The light that had shot out of the room in a beam had moved through the roof of the temple, and into the sky from the crater of the volcano like a swiftly shooting star, catching eyes from all around to notice it, most specifically a window in the Palace as Ganondorf watched it. With a soft sigh of disdain, he turned away from the window and walked on.

As it seemed, Myriad was being completely predictable.


	22. Scheming

_Chapter 21 - Scheming_

"Link?"

He groaned softly, opening his eyes slowly, able to see a light blue void surrounding him. It stretched on forever, seemingly endless, and somehow, thought empty, still beautiful. Narrowing his brows in confusion as he heard Zelda asking his name, he turned his head to the left, then the right, seeing the same light blue color everywhere.

"Zelda?"

"Link? Where are you?"

"I'm right here, I don't see you."

Link looked back, then forward again. Nothing was there. But it was then that he jolted, gasped softly, shutting his eyes against the force he felt, and thinks went dark behind his lids, growing quiet again. It wasn't much long afterwards that he heard a much more masculine voice calling his name than before.

"Link! Open your eyes boy!"

When he did so slowly, Link saw the face of Kioson hovering just over his, making him jolt with a startled gasp. What happened to that abyss he'd been floating through, he wondered, a dream? He was back in the Goron City now somehow however, and looking over, he saw Zelda opening her own eyes on a bed across from the one he'd been laying in.

"Welcome back!," The Goron grinned at him, standing up straight. "We thought you two might sleep forever."

Besides Kioson's voice, there was a loud drumming sounding in the background, music for some kind of celebration apparently, and Link sat forward slowly, as did Zelda. In some slight confusion, he asked the Goron, "How did we get here?"

Zelda glanced over, listening to their conversation, feeling just as groggy from sleep as Link did, and just as curious. "Hmm," Kioson drew out, "it's hard to say, strange thing really. I think the Temple brought you back here safely once you'd both finished your questing. You've been asleep for about seven hours now."

"We have?" Zelda asked, confused, "I don't even remember falling asleep."

"Well, we've been checking on you consistently." Kioson told her, "Neither of you seemed harmed, so we just carried you to rest in a bed more like what you're used to, until you woke up. But what's even better is that there's been no eruptions since you came back, none of those tremors we sometimes have. The cave's free of monsters now too. Everyone's been celebrating and scouring them for the rocks we've been missing."

The drumming Link had heard, and still did, was a testament to that. "So I hear," He smiled, standing up next to Kioson as he stretched the kinks out of his arms slowly. He felt a good bit stiff from their last so-called excursion, though, he _had_ been knocked about and slammed into some walls, so he wasn't surprised over it at all. Still, the sleep and the beds they'd been given to rest in had helped, so he knew the stiffness wasn't nearly as bad as it could be.

"I'm glad they can go back out into the volcano without all of the dangers," Zelda told Kioson as she stood also while Link considered his current condition, rubbing her eyes to clear them of the sleep she'd taken. She wasn't as sore or stiff as Link was, but somehow she felt a little drained from what she'd done, though, at the same time, she oddly felt more empowered than she had before. She realized why, but she was very curious about it. For now though, she kept those curiosities a secret until she could discuss it with Link by herself.

Nodding in response to her words, Kioson planted a firm hand on Link's shoulder in a pat, the pat making Link cringe as he told them both, "We have you to thank! Come down and we'll celebrate!"

With the open invitation, and seeing how sore Link appeared to be as he reacted to Kioson's show of appreciation, Zelda smiled and told Kioson, "Oh, thank you but no. I think we're both still a little too worn out for celebrating. We actually should go and find out more about what we've just accomplished before we attempt to throw a party. We have more work to be done sadly."

Kioson frowned over the words, but he waved his hand in agreement, "Alright, if that's what you need to do, then you're welcome to it. We managed to clean your horses for you, they're still waiting in the stables. I think the Gorons enjoyed having horses around to spoil again. We think they're strong, respectable creatures worthy of special attention. But, they may have spoiled them a bit."

Walking over to where Kioson and Link stood, Zelda smiled up at the big Goron. She couldn't explain why, but after everything that had happened, and with his appreciation being so sincere and honest, she had come to like the Gorons very much. Deciding to take a risk of being squished, she leaned in, hugging Kioson, though as she did so, she realized that there were no soft spots anywhere to make the hug seem comfortable. Though Kioson didn't seem to mind it one bit, patting her back, gently even, as if he knew his strength might hurt her.

"Thank you, Kioson." She smiled.

"No, it was the least we could do to thank _you_! But," he looked between them both, "you'll come back sometime, won't you?"

"Of course," Link nodded as Zelda stood back from him. "I'd like to see how well you guys can celebrate sometime for myself."

"Alright! We'll do that then! But, I've got to go. I'm scheduled for a competition pretty soon now!" He grinned as if anxious to get to it. "Hmm, would you like me to send someone to show you out?"

"No, that's fine. I think we can manage to find it," Link told him, waving his hand, "you go win that fight."

With a grinned nod, Kioson informed them, "I intend to! If we don't see each other again, you two take care!" Waving at them both, he told them both goodbye and went to leave the room. Once he was gone, Zelda lowered her hand from waving back, and turned to Link, getting his attention through a curious look.

"Were you having a dream about a void and calling my name?"

Narrowing his brows as he glanced down at her, he nodded, replying, "I was, why?"

"Because I don't think it was a dream. I think it was a portal we traveled through that opened after I destroyed the orb. Did you see anyone there?"

"No," Link shook his head, "I only heard your voice, and that's it."

"It's the same for me," she nodded, then sighed out a slow breath. She appeared to have a lot on her mind that she wanted to discuss with him, and didn't know where to start. So Link shook his head and told her, "We'll talk about it on the way down Death Mountain, alright? Let's just get our horses and find that Myriad Stone. I know we destroyed the orb, but I'd like to know...," he trailed off.

"Know what?" She asked him with a curious tilt of her head.

Considering it, he shook his head, deciding not to tell her for now, "Nothing, like I said, we'll talk on the way to the Stone."

Zelda looked him over with a bit of concern in her violet blue eyes for a moment, but finally she nodded her head and decided to go with him. After all, there was something bothering her that she wanted to ask Myriad about, and she would wait like he'd told her to before they discussed it further. After all, while she'd grown fond of the Gorons, she wanted to get back outside again and away from the volcano for a while.

---

The Myriad Stone in the courtyard of Hyrule Palace continued to glow just as softly as the rest of them throughout the kingdom. If one could peer into it, see within the clouds and through the barrier of the realms to the other side, what might they glimpse? The Sacred Realm wasn't the easiest place to describe in words, though the touch Dragmire had left there did sully it. Without the Triforce, the Realm lost it's once pristine glory, though Myriad's trickery had prevented him from turning the entire realm into a dark world, which would have complicated matters even more so.

Laying bound by magical shackles encompassing her body, reinforced in power by her own strength despite the fact that originally she had been entrapped against her will, she would not move. Inanimate, silent, she remained that way until a touch came to a stone, her senses still alert to their magical presence within her soul. When she sensed it, she would respond.

Unless of course that touch was foul and desired darker deeds.

Ganondorf made a small smirk as his hand left the stone and he heard absolutely nothing. "So shy," he muttered out almost playfully, knowing it made no difference one way or the other. She had nothing to say to him, nor did he to her, at least, specifically in that moment. As he stood there, he heard the doors behind him opening, and he looked back, seeing Arden emerging from them, having performed the task he'd been handed, which was retrieving the prisoner his king had asked for.

Pulling her out, her arms shackled behind her back, Arden tugged the woman forward, pushing her to her knees before the king. Her white hair hung before her face in slight dirty strands as she was forced down into what she considered a farce of a bow, glancing her red-brown eyes up to the one she'd surrendered herself to in order to protect those who resided within the Temple of Time.

Ganondorf smirked down at her, stepping forward slowly, saying, "Impa, it's been a," he paused in thought, then emphasized, "_very_ long time, hasn't it? Ten years, I believe."

Impa sighed out a soft breath with a less than pleasant look on her face, thinking about that, replying, "Yes, I believe you're right. Since the night you took the throne as a boy."

"And for the years prior, you'd been deceiving everyone all along."

"We were all deceived, Ganondorf, even you were."

Ganondorf smirked a slow smile. "You're right," he replied, seeming to concede to that without care, turning his back to her, one arm folded behind himself, waving a hand toward the Myriad Stone as he continued, "Except for Myriad. She knew from the beginning the entire tale, didn't she?"

"She was the only one with the power to thwart your true father and his powers of manipulation," Impa replied, looking up, glancing toward the back of Ganondorf's head. "Why is that so important now, though? Why did you ask for me to be brought out here?"

She heard his low chuckling as he looked back, smirking down at her, "I wanted to ask you to give up the locations of everyone who has been hiding from me to be blunt about it, those whom support that whelp of a boy whose presence I sensed earlier on Death Mountain."

Death Mountain, Impa thought to herself. Link and Zelda had gone to the Temple of Fire. They must have succeeded otherwise she wouldn't be here now, and Ganondorf wouldn't feel the need to question her. Instead, she'd still be in her prison waiting for an absolution. Speaking none of this to the evil king however, Impa shook her head to his question, telling him, "You know I would rather die than do so."

"Hmph," Ganondorf scoffed, "just like Myriad, predictable. But, if you insist on silence, very well." Turning, he lifted his hands and clapped them twice in order to get someone's attention apparently. As he did so, the doors opposite of the ones that Impa had been brought through across the courtyard opened up, and Impa watched as Link, or what was his darker half, stepped out of them, heading across the yard in their direction quietly. Her lips parted a bit, her brows narrowed, and she turned her face back to Ganondorf.

"What are you planning?"

"It's simple really," he told her, placing his hand on the dark entities shoulder as Dark Link reached them, smirking at the evil shadow of his nemesis which the mirror had formed the evening Link took the Master Sword into his hand. "I'm sure you've heard of a village named Engleton, correct?"

Engleton, Impa thought, a very small town with some very good people in it on the road to Lake Hylia. Slowly, she nodded her head in response to the king, wondering what he would say next.

"Good, then you know it's a worthless place, completely useless, with nothing even remotely worthy of redeeming save perhaps a few sticks of wood and some livestock which the people there own." Looking back at Impa, he added, "Myriad is the only one of us who has not been deceived thus yet. Now, I believe, it is time to change that story."

"How?"

"By destroying Engleton of course. It's all too apparent that I have someone right here capable of doing so. I'll send him in, along with a group of my soldiers, and have them lay in wait while Myriad believes that Link's dark half is simply wreaking havoc in his good name. Needless to say they'll find more than his shadow when they arrive there."

With the words, Dark Link started to raise his hand up to the Stone, coming within inches of touching it before Impa stopped him, "Wait!"

Both he and Ganondorf glanced over at the woman, a single brow over each of their eyes raised. Impa took in her breath and turned her head away, and then shook it slowly, "If I give you the locations, will you let Engleton be in peace?"

Ganondorf stood up straight, lifting his head back as if he were pleased to hear that she was so willing suddenly to give him the information he'd wanted. In response, he told her, "For now, perhaps. Long enough to give you a sliver of hope that maybe your treasured hero might pull through so that it always will be."

Impa sneered at the words, narrowing her brows. Fisting her hands behind herself, she closed her eyes, knowing precisely what she was about to do. With a deep breath, she spoke, "The first you'll want to seek is Lyonel, probably the most dangerous of us all, if you could consider any of us dangerous."

"Well, if you're _the_ most dangerous aside from Myriad, Impa, then I can understand why you'd say that," Ganondorf mocked her with the snide remark, denoting her bowed position and shackled arms. "Arden, bring her, let's adjourn inside and have a little talk over this, shall we?"

"Yes sir," Arden spoke, leaning down to take Impa's arm and pull her to her feet, escorting her along. Being pulled up, Impa kept her head lowered, though the entire way, she had a definite look of disgust and indignance on her face.

As they went, Ganondorf glanced back at the dark incarnation of his nemesis, still standing near the Myriad Stone, and he spoke, "You can just," he shrugged, "remain being you." The words had come out somewhat blandly as Arden opened the door, and they all stepped inside to go speak over the matters at hand.

Dark Link watched them, watched the door shutting on them, lifting a single brow after it had done so, then he rolled his eyes. Wasn't that just smart? Remain being himself? Pushing the ridiculous notion out of his mind, he turned his slightly glowing red eyes toward the stone he'd been about to touch and then looked back at the door, suddenly grinning with malice in his eyes.

Ganondorf had sway over the shadow, that much was certain, but the shadow also had a mind of his own, with his own thoughts, and just now, a good one had come to it. Lifting his hand, he reached for the stone and placed his hand on it. There was no response. Myriad was still silent, but that didn't deter him. She could hear him through the touch anyway, regardless of whether or not she responded, and he wanted her to, slowly leaning forward.

"Myriad?," he asked, smirking, "You can tell that outstanding young man you're leading around with a carrot on a stick that I'm looking forward to seeing he and his lady friend again, and it will be fairly soon now. Tell him I can't wait, and that I'll have some good tricks up my sleeves waiting for him."

Pulling his hand away from the stone as he grinned, Dark Link started chuckling while he walked on through the courtyard, considering his idea. It was doubtful Ganondorf would care one way or the other. The chances were that Link would eventually go to Lake Hylia and pass through Engleton on the way there, so he'd miss his chance to set up a trap for Link and Zelda anyway by hesitating to destroy the village in getting the information he wanted out of Impa. So the chance was his, and Dark Link didn't want to waste it.

Link, the shadow thought, he couldn't wait to watch die. On the other hand, however, Zelda was a different matter. Heading through the Palace gates and to the drawbridge, Dark Link could remember her lovely face clearly, and he certainly couldn't wait to simply, well, see it again, her eyes, her fair skin. Even her lips.

And find out how soft they were for himself.

---

"It's somewhat hard to believe we're back here again."

Zelda had spoken the words as she'd trotted down the slope of Death Mountain on Frost's back the same way they'd originally gone up, and rounding the corner, they could see the Myriad Stone they'd been searching out. Link had to agree with Zelda over that, it seemed somewhat strange, considering what they'd gone through so far, to be back here again. But maybe it had seemed so soon due to the fact that there hadn't been any boulders to bar their path this time around. Or then again, maybe it was because of all they'd done on the mountain alone.

Somehow though, Link had seemed a bit solemn the entire way down the mountainside. Zelda had definitely noticed it, but she'd yet to ask him about it because she got the feeling it had to do with whatever he wanted to ask Myriad about. Zelda herself had a question to ask the sage, which had to do with destroying the orb. As Zelda had done so, she'd felt a good bit of power emulating not only from the orb while it was breaking and releasing the spirit essence that it had consumed over the years, but she'd also felt it seeping into her very being. She knew that somehow, magically especially, she'd grown much stronger after releasing the spirit essence from the orb, but her question was why did she feel as if she'd taken a part of that spirit's essence with her? This power that was supposed to go to the Sage of Fire, pieces of it now within her, made her innately curious.

It made her wonder if she was meant to be a Sage of some type. Something inside of her told her yes, that was it just that, but she also knew that she wasn't supposed to be the Sage of Fire in particular. So none of it really made much sense to her. Perhaps, if she'd grown up with her real parents, she would've known the answer, but then again, even Impa had never mentioned anything to her of being a Sage.

Pushing the thoughts from her mind in general for the moment, she looked at Link and decided to see if maybe he had anything to say. After all, she was somewhat worried over his seemingly brooding demeanor.

"You're awfully quiet, Link."

Link glanced over at her when he heard his name. After a moment, he started shaking his head slowly, "So are you." He pointed out. "Something on your mind?"

"Well, yes."

"Same here," he replied softly, pulling Epona to a stop as they reached the same area they'd started at before heading to the Goron City on the rocky terrain. He didn't dismount right away though, and instead, glanced at his childhood friend somewhat thoughtfully. "I saw Ganondorf in the Temple."

"Ganondorf?" Zelda asked him as she drew Frost's reigns to a stop herself. "When?"

"When that monster had me before we destroyed the orb," he explained. Then, looking down in thought, he quietly added, "It must have been some kind of psychic connection he had to the creature. But he said something to me, something that didn't make any sense."

Zelda was both intrigued and a little worried. Reaching out when he seemed to drift in thought, she put her hand on his arm. The touch drew his gaze, and his eyes traveled up her arm and to her face. Seeing the worried expression, he gifted her with a small smile, then patted her hand with his. "Let's just ask Myriad about it. It's probably just Ganondorf being arrogant somehow."

"Alright," Zelda nodded, turning to dismount with Link as they approached the Stone once again. Stopping, Zelda let him reach out to touch it, and Myriad responded to them both, the area growing a bit dark around them once more as if twilight were upon them.

"Myriad, we've destroyed the first orb," Link said as if to get her attention, "and," he stopped for a moment, glancing over at Zelda. "We both apparently have a few troubles."

The soft yet wise voice of Myriad sounded, almost echoing, and Link listened as she told them, "I've sensed as such with your touch. I too have had troubling times since your departure."

Link's brows narrowed, his eyes looking down at the Stone, as did Zelda's. "What's happened?," he asked protectively.

"Nothing I shall put before your own concerns," she responded. "Zelda, I have the feeling I already know what it is you want to question of me. It has to do with the Essence of Fire, and why you felt a part of that power imbue itself into you."

"Yes," Zelda replied, "it does. I feel as if something has awakened in me, as if I'm supposed to be one of the Sages, but not the Sage of Fire, so I can't understand why some of the power came to me."

Link, having not known this, narrowed his brows, gazing at Zelda quietly. She'd taken some of that power? He was, of course, now that he knew anyway, just as curious as she was over it, and he patiently awaited Myriad's reply. "This answer is simple. There have always been a collective of six Sages working to protect Hyrule over the generations. A seventh there is also designated as their leader. This Sage has a small portion of magic from all of the rest, lent to you by the other powers that be in support. Your role is that of the seventh Sage, the guardian, outranking us all."

Outranking them all? Zelda glanced down in thought over that. Even Myriad? Perhaps it was because of the woman's wise nature, and her role in all of this, but somehow Zelda wondered how that could even be possible. Deciding that she would figure more of it out as she went along however, she simply replied, "I see. I'd been curious if I'd done something wrong, but I didn't really feel as if I had."

"You're right, everything is flowing accordingly. You may rest your worries, my Princess."

Hearing this did settle Zelda's mind a bit, though in some strange way, it also made her feel a bit more responsibility than before. In those thoughts, she asked, "Did you know I was to become a Sage then?"

"I'd had my suspicions, yes. But there was no sense with burdening you before you felt that call of your own accord."

"Thank you," Zelda replied, honestly meaning it, "that does help."

"You're most welcome." Myriad grew silent for a moment, finally adding, "Link, what is it concerning you?"

With his turn to ask, having listened to Zelda's conversation with the Sage, he thought of his own question. Like Zelda hadn't really mentioned the puzzle she'd come across, he also hadn't told her exactly what he'd been curious over, and he looked down at the stone he touched.

He relayed to Myriad what he'd told to Zelda earlier about seeing Ganondorf in the Temple. Following those words, he went on, "Ganondorf told me that our coming to him would only help him raze Hyrule from this realm. What did he mean by that?"

Myriad was silent for only a moment. The silence made him wonder if she was trying to figure it out herself, waiting patiently. "Link," she started finally, "this is not easy to answer. As I'd mentioned my own troubles, they have been received by constant attempts on his part to contact me and waylay troubling news or arrogant words of mockery. What Ganondorf seeks is what the two of you have, your halves of the Triforce. He believes your coming to him will simply bring him that which will grant him the ability to rule over all. But you mustn't allow him to fool you. It's his arrogance that makes him believe victory can be no other's."

"That's what I'd considered, but," he shook his head, "I'm still concerned."

"I know," she replied soothingly, "but this is a step far ahead of you for now. Worry with what lay directly before you instead. The answers will all come in time. Ganondorf imposes on us all, but the actions you've performed in the Temple of Fire is the very reason why. His words should not be an indication of worry to you, but more of a proof of his own doubt in his abilities to perform flawlessly in his tasks."

"In order to make him doubt even more so, you must make your way to Lake Hylia. Once you've arrived, you will see more of the reasoning for yourself. But beware, along the way, you'll most certainly run into the darkness representing itself as you, Link. He'll no doubt try to stand in your way as well. I sense a need from him to be rid completely of all which opposes him, and though he may be swayed by Ganondorf, he still has intents all his own, making him dangerous in his whims."

Understanding, and having a new destination now, Link replied, "Thank you, Myriad." He lowered his hand from the stone with a sigh, allowing everything to turn back to normal. Glancing over at Zelda, he watched her as she seemed to think deeply, wondering for just a moment what might've been going through her mind, considering for himself that she'd undergone a good amount of change. But somehow, it all seemed fitting.

The name Mira had began to melt away from her more and more. Even though he still called her by the name out of habit from time to time when he wasn't thinking about it, somehow, after the ten years that had passed, after finding out her true destiny in life, and her attempts to conform to that path, Zelda just seemed...suiting. Princess, Sage, he considered, childhood friend. She was all of those things to him and so much more, but he couldn't see Mira as being everything that he could see in this woman now. Maybe that was why it seemed so suiting. When he thought of Mira, he thought of a simple girl, a kind young woman who lived in a village making deliveries to family and friends, and not the woman he saw here who'd helped him to take out a monster twice their size.

Speaking of which, when he'd had the thought, he walked over to her and asked, "When did you learn how to shoot an arrow by the way?"

The question made Zelda look up at him, snapping her back to the present. Shrugging, she shook her head, "Impa taught me quite a few things. She was a very good archer herself. I'm no where near as skilled as you are, but that monster wasn't a small target, so it wasn't hard to hit."

"Then you got lucky when you hit the eye?" He smiled at her.

"Maybe it was luck, then again, maybe I'm just good at aiming when I need to," she smirked, taking Frosts's reigns. "So, are we ready to go then? We can stop by Kakariko, see some old faces on the way."

"Sounds good," Link replied, then he had a thought. "I guess I'm going to have to call you Mira again for a while." He knew that's how everyone in the village they'd lived in for so long would refer to her, and for him to suddenly be calling her something else would raise a bunch of questions.

"Only while we're there." Zelda pointed out to him as he'd thought it all over.

"This is confusing."

Zelda started chuckling, giving him a sympathetic look as they began to mount their horses, and once on their backs, she regarded him quietly. Her thoughts went back to the Temple, and how hard he'd fought, considering that he was definitely all the legends said he would be. "You know," she started, "I couldn't help but admire your courage back there, in the Temple of Fire. Maybe that's cliche of me to say considering you're holding the Triforce of Courage, but, all the same, I don't think that's the only reason you're so brave."

"Trying to compliment me?" He asked as they'd started trotting.

"Yes," she nodded, "I am. Why, does that embarrass you?"

He was finally smiling again, a welcome sight to her, and then he turned the tables on her, "Only because it's coming from such a beautiful woman."

A blush hit Zelda's cheeks as red as a rose and she looked ahead. Seeing the look made him smile. It was just playful banter after all. Nothing serious was meant of it, just a means to get him out of being the object of her jesting. And the best part of all?

He'd meant every word of it and she hadn't even known it.


	23. Savior

_Chapter 22 - Savior_

The ride through Kakariko had lasted most of the day. Several of the people were talking about recent activities, some having witnessed the events to take place at the peak of Death Mountain in the distance, chattering away about what it could have been. Link and Zelda both found some of the rumors to be ridiculous, though, they had known exactly what had happened, so anything that wasn't the truth sounded somewhat off in credibility to them anyway. Still, others had stories that were closer to what had actually happened, but Link and Zelda decided not to confirm or deny anything to those who'd asked, saying simply that they'd seen it when asked, and weren't sure exactly what to think of it.

They found out from Shamrock that word also had it there was a revolt taking place, as if people were starting to band together to make a stand against Hyrule guards and even the king himself. But Shamrock didn't know much about the details besides that, except that he also heard it was only a bunch of kids with high ambitions whom didn't know what they were getting themselves into. The news somehow didn't surprise Link or Zelda, though they hoped it wasn't true. A group of kids whom thought that they could stand against Hyrule wouldn't be a pretty picture in the end.

Another change they'd learned of around the village itself was that Nissa was no longer staying there. People were taking turns, Shamrock especially, caring for the gardens and the chickens which Zelda, or as they knew her, Mira had kept, and Nissa had left to see her own people. Shamrock said the fairy had told him she needed to go back and give them some information, but what, she didn't say. All she told him was that it'd been important.

It made Zelda feel a little sad that she'd missed the fairy, Link as well, but somehow they knew their paths would cross again, and didn't lose hope on that. Meanwhile, Tallor had complimented Link on his ease of taking care of Epona, as well as asked Zelda whom she'd gotten her own horse from. It was definitely nice talking to the villagers again, most of them sad to find out that Link and 'Mira' weren't staying, but as evening drew on, the two left to continue on their way, deciding they would be camping more than likely once they could find a spot suitable enough to settle themselves down for the night.

Death Mountain was settled to the northwest of Kakariko, the south and southeast being shrouded by forests, and the east by hills and plains where the forests were less dense at first, but grew thicker the further you went. Link and Zelda had to head east to reach to Lake Hylia, though they stuck closer to the trees rather than the open paths where soldiers were more likely to come across them. It was true, there were no wanted posters, or bounties on their heads, yet that was, but Link wanted to keep it that way, so he was taking the long way around instead of the direct way.

They both moved along without trouble due to this under the warmth of the sun, making good time. Despite their worries and alertness of possible problems, the ride felt good, enjoyable, and somehow freeing in a way. It gave them both the time they needed to reflect over events that had happened already, as well as plan for things that may eventually happen in the future.

Though they made good time that evening, Lake Hylia was a good distance to travel to. Link had estimated they wouldn't arrive there for at least another day or two, depending on the trouble they might've possibly run into along the way, and eventually, they decided to stop a rest for a while in a nice grove of trees they'd found, both of them starving besides being weary from traveling anyway.

Settling down and starting a camp fire, Zelda began to give Link his first magical instruction. It took him a few tries, but inevitably, he had a pretty good fire going, refusing to give up until he'd done so while Zelda had tended to their horses needs, feeding and grooming them, congratulating Link with a grin when she saw the fire really coming to life.

Somehow, in the process, Link began to understand what she'd meant about magical energies and how they could become exhausted. He was much less prone to using those abilities than she was due to having never been trained in them, but after he'd performed the fire spell she'd taught him, he felt as if he might not be able to do it again for a while, though he could still feel that ability there inside of him. It was strange in a way, but he knew that he'd figure it out more and more over time, and while he didn't have the feeling that he'd ever become as prominent with it as Zelda was, he would get a good hang of it.

She'd insisted on cooking, and though Link had told her he could do that himself, somehow feeling a little odd about letting her do that kind of thing for him, and he couldn't really explain why, she'd told him to just go sit and relax, knowing, though she spoke nothing of it, that he was still a little stiff from their previous engagements in battle, and she wanted him to keep a watch on himself as much as possible. After all, if he wasn't rested, things would be much harder for them both.

As she sat, cooking some meat over a fire that she'd gotten from Kakariko, which she'd brought along enough food to last them the trip to Lake Hylia if not a little longer - considering how long their journey might or might not last - she heard the faint sound of a flute and glanced up toward the trees. Not too long ago, Link had gone of to where a small stream was flowing in order to clean himself up and Zelda had began cooking while he'd done so.

The sound grew in strength after a moment, though it hadn't been far off to begin with, and Zelda thought about the flute that Lyonel had given to Link to help them on their quest. She wondered about it, turning the meat over in the pan, letting the other side cook while she listened to the tunes coming from the wind instrument. They were soft and soothing somehow, and for someone who'd never played one before, she supposed Lyonel had been right because, a few missed notes aside, Link was playing it flawlessly. It made her smirk a little bit.

She could only wonder who'd given the musical item to Lyonel to begin with. He said it had been passed on for generations, so did that mean someone he was related to gave it to him, or that it had just been used by several people before? Perhaps it didn't matter, she considered, guessing the bigger question was how could it help them?

The meat began to grow a nice cooked color, and Zelda pulled the pan away from the fire to keep it from burning. She'd pulled out some slices of bread to go along with the meal, and settled a kettle over the fire to boil some water so they could have some tea to drink. While waiting on that, she smiled when the tune got somewhat playful in nature, and she wondered if that tune meant Link was in a good mood, or maybe he thought his newly found flute playing abilities were humorous.

Pushing herself up, she walked toward where the sound was coming from, finding Link sitting on the ground, leaning against the trunk of a tree with one of his legs drawn up casually, his eyes closed, a little smirk on his face. She grinned when she saw it, slowly stepping in closer, and she didn't want to interrupt him but the water would be boiling soon, so she knew their food would get cold if they waited.

"Having any fun with that?" She asked him as she stepped over toward him.

Glancing up, the music ceasing with her words, Link watched her as she sat down on her knees near him. Nodding, he looked the instrument over and said, "Yeah, it's a little strange, but fun at the same time. I figured I should give it a try, and if I was bad at it, I didn't want to bother you with scratchy, squeaky sounds, so I sat over here."

Zelda chuckled a little bit, "Do you even know what you're playing at all?"

"Well, it kind of feels like I'm just playing what's in me, like it knows what I'm feeling and it's putting it into song for me."

Nodding, a trace of the smile she had still on her face as she considered that, she told him, "You must have been amused then. Or at least in a good mood."

"I was happy," he nodded, "I also thought it was funny that I was playing so easily."

Smiling brightly at him while he confirmed to her what she'd considered the tune could have been before, she waved her hands at him as if to urge him on, "So go on, play some more. I want to hear."

Link scratched his head a slight bit in thought and then shrugged, "What would you like me to play?"

"Oh, I don't know, surprise me. You can play something and I'll try to guess what it is."

"Hm," Link thought aloud, then he took then flute and nodded, "okay." Lifting it to his lips, he closed his eyes and thought of something, getting it in his mind, and he began to play it. The tune started coming out softly, and as he went, he felt as if he knew the notes by heart, like he'd played it a million times, knew exactly what note to hit next even though he'd never hit it before. It felt relaxing to do so, like he could get everything off of his chest this way, and not have to worry about carrying the burden of his emotions around with him. If this was how it happened every time, Link felt he understood why Lyonel played every evening, since the man seemed to harbor many guilty and other types of feelings from what had happened in his past.

Zelda listened to the melody, somewhat slow, but it became more and more upbeat, though a little hesitant at times, and somehow it was inspiring. She didn't stop him, let him go on, until the sudden whistle of a kettle going off was heard, and the music stopped, both of them looking at the fire where the boiling water was located.

"Well, I guess dinner's ready," she informed him.

Smiling, Zelda stood up as Link did, and walked with him to the fire in order to finish the tea, offering him some of the food she'd made while she took the other half and sat near the fire next to him. The horses were standing near by as they sat, and once settled, Zelda pursed her lips in thought over the song she'd heard, trying to figure out what it could have been.

"So," Link asked as she thought it over, "trying to figure it out? I'm not sure I even did it right, but I know what I was thinking of."

"Well, it sounded happy, and at the same time, kind of mellow in a way. Is it something I know about?"

He nodded at her, replying, "The day I came back to Kakariko and got most of my memories back. When I first met you again."

Zelda smiled when he described it to her. He went on as well, "I just remember being happy and sad at the same time, I guess that's why it was kind of mellow sounding."

She took a bite of the bread she'd pulled out for them both, and once she'd chewed her bite up, she told him, "I know, it's strange how something as happy as being reunited with someone you lost can make a person feel so sad at the same time. But it's the time we missed out on, that has to be it."

Link agreed as he ate, remarking in the process, "Still, I wonder how this flute might help us in the future. I just don't really understand that."

Zelda didn't seem to understand it completely either, which prompted her to comment, "There's several things that seem to be shadowed out to us still so far. I think perhaps Myriad might be doing that on purpose, because she knows if we learn too much before we're supposed to, we might get confused and lost on our way to what we need to accomplish."

"That sounds like a good reason to me," Link nodded, "and it's complicated enough as it is. I think I've filled my quota of surprises for the entire month."

"Definitely," Zelda grinned, sipping her tea.

Smiling, Link lowered his plate to his legs in thought. "Still," he added while she sipped it, "I get kind of worried. She said Ganondorf had been trying to contact her, mocking her and saying malicious things. I know she probably expected that, maybe it was the reason she'd put herself into a slumber to begin with, but it makes me wish I could end this right now, so he won't bother her anymore. I think she's been through enough."

"I know, and I wish that too. After all she's done, she doesn't deserve such treatment. Though, it makes me curious too, what was she like before all of this happened? She could have been married and had a family you know. Maybe she'll tell us sometime."

Nodding once again, Link sat his empty plate to the side now that he was done eating and couldn't stop a yawn. He and Zelda intended on sleeping for a few hours before they started riding again, and being settled where he was, he figured it would be the best spot to make a pallet like they'd intended to. Glancing over, he found the rolled up blankets she'd set out for them and pushed himself up while she finished her own food off, grabbing them to untie the strings they were confined in.

Once the laces had been undone, Link pulled the two thick blankets apart, consider how he was curious if she'd be comfortable or not sleeping in the woods like this, and he was going to ask her about it as he turned to hand her one of them when he saw a brooding look on her face. Stopping, he lowered his arms, wondering what she could have been thinking about.

"Zelda? Is everything okay?"

Her head perked up, and seeing the blankets in his hand, realizing she'd gone off into deep thought, she cleared her throat and moved the empty plates they'd been eating off of to the side before she reached out for one of the blankets he'd been about to offer her.

"Yes," she replied, "I suppose so, I was just considering my own future."

Link, spreading his blanket out, glanced over at her, curiously watching her making her own bed to lay on. "Like what?"

"Well," she started, "like my future as the princess. It's so much different than the life I'd planned for myself as a child."

Link could see where she was coming from in that. Once his blanket was settled, he turned to sit on it again, and looked over at her, knowing royal life and plans for a future in that type of world differed greatly from commoner life, the world he was still in regardless of the fate he'd been handed. Still, he had to ask just out of curiosity which aspects of her planned future she could've been talking about exactly.

"How so?"

Zelda had settled herself down onto her own pallet when he'd asked that, and she shrugged her shoulders. "Well, growing up I'd always planned on marrying, having children, a nice little house somewhere that I could grow some plants and maybe raise a few animals along with my children."

He considered that and then shook his head, "You can still do all of that."

It was with those words that Zelda sighed and tilted her head downward a bit. "No, I can't. I mean, it won't be the same. I'll have to put the kingdom before myself most times. So I won't be able to have a lot of the things I want. Maybe I can have a few of them, but it will just be so different."

Now that he really considered it, she was right. Half of the time she'd probably be so preoccupied with duty that she wouldn't even get much of a chance to enjoy the simpler things in life, and what time she did get to herself, she'd probably be so preoccupied thinking of her actual duties that the time would pass before she could get anything personally enjoyable done at all.

Link wanted to reply to her before she suddenly dismissed the topic altogether, "I'm just being silly," she waved her hand as she spoke, then yawned, covering her mouth, "and need to get some sleep." Following the words, she turned and laid down across her pallet, resting her head on her arm. "Goodnight, Link," she added once she was settled down.

Link watched her, replying, "Goodnight," before he paused for a moment, glancing to the side, "Zelda."

Once he'd said that, he began considering to himself their roles for a moment. As it seemed, in contrast to her, his duties were over as soon as Hyrule was delivered to safety again, and hers started when it was. If he wanted, as she'd started her duty, he could go back to his normal life, and it almost made it seem to him as if he was working to put the shackles of royalty on her.

Somehow, it didn't seem fair, while he knew she was very willing to see to it that things fell into their proper places, and was also willing to take the throne as she should have originally, he knew she was worried over those duties too. She was worried if she would be able to handle them or not, if she was capable of being the Princess of Hyrule. While he had every faith and belief that she did, he could also understand any reluctance she felt toward it. Nothing would be the same anymore once it happened, and even now, things were changing slowly for the both of them.

But that didn't change his relationship with the woman laying across from him now. He would always be her friend regardless of what happened, even after his job supposedly ended. Protecting her wasn't something that had just been handed over to him the day he'd taken the Master Sword from it's pedestal - he'd always felt the need to protect her since they were both children. Physically, and in other ways. Her emotional and spiritual well being also concerned him. So if she needed help in those arenas, reinforcement, he would gladly give it to her.

As she laid there, he finally sat back, having chosen a more upright position, the lower half of his body on the ground, his shoulders and head against a fallen tree trunk behind him, hands folded casually across his lower chest. Slowly, he let his eyes close, let himself drift off to sleep along with her, the last thought in his head being a promise he made to himself.

Whenever she took the throne, he'd make sure to protect her then as well, and keep her happy, so she could still enjoy the simpler things in life. And he'd keep his feelings for her quiet so she wouldn't have to worry about the affections of a commoner, no matter if she wouldn't have minded it or not. After all, her true life lay in Hyrule, and he wasn't going to stand in her way. Once she became the Princess, he'd let her go.

---

Shouting could be heard a short distance away, drawing both Link and Zelda from their slumber. The fire near them had died a while beforehand, the chill of the evening settling in around the two now. Link sat forward and shook the sleep from his head, alert in no time to the sounds they'd heard, while Zelda slowly sat up on her elbow, able to detect the distinct sound of horses in the distance that didn't belong to the two of them, along with the wheels of a wagon rolling to a halt.

Link, when he looked, could vaguely see the topped wagon in the distance beyond the shroud of trees they'd been sleeping in, and he heard what sounded to be the frightened gasps of a young woman as she was tugged from the back of the covered vehicle. The sight had Link narrowing his brows while Zelda's lips parted, and before she could even attempt to think of anything to say, Link looked over at her and told her, "Stay right here."

There he went telling her to stay behind again, she thought as she pursed her lips, but he'd already grabbed his sword before she could respond to him. Shaking her head, she pushed herself up and began gathering and packing up their things.

Wanting to take a closer look, Link stuck close to the trees as he quietly worked his way toward the scene. Closer now, he could see a man with a torch dragging a younger girl along behind himself, whom was dressed in torn and dirty clothing that looked more like rags for the most part, long red hair crowning her head. She couldn't have been more than fifteen years old, perhaps Link's age, and the man dragging her pushed her before himself, holding her by back of her neck in front of a second man who was a bit older, rounded in the mid section, wearing dirty clothing himself. But that also looked to be because he just hadn't bathed himself properly recently if his unkempt hair and beard were any indication.

The older man grinned down at the young woman, reaching out and pulling up a fine lock of her hair while she clutched her ragged clothing against herself, cowering from the both of them. It was obvious to anyone to see that she didn't want to be there, and as the older man inspected her, he spoke to the one holding the girl by what Link could now see was a shackle around her neck.

"She's definitely innocent," he chuckled perversely, "How much did you say?"

"Two thousand."

"Two what!?"

"You heard me old man, otherwise no deal!"

The old man grumbled while Link watched in complete disgust. Were they bartering for a girl whom looked like she was at least two years younger than he himself was for sexual purposes? Link found himself completely appalled over the very notion of it. Proving that his suspicions were accurate, the old man spit out, "You'd better let me see the goods for that price!"

"Fine," the man who had the young woman captive spoke, and Link heard the girl whimpering the word no as her clothing was reached for. The so-called salesman's hand gripped the collar of the garment she wore, ready to tug it off and expose her when an arrow cut through the wind and went directly through his wrist, making him yell in anguish, effectively stopping him, as well as pinning him to the back of the covered wagon.

Simultaneously, the young girl and the older man who'd been about to buy her looked up, and it took her a moment but realizing she had an opportunity for escape now, the young girl slipped away from the older man quickly as the one who'd been holding her captive worried over his wrist, having fallen to his knees in pain.

That didn't stop him from trying to reach for her though, but he'd missed, and he yelled to the driver of the wagon, "Stop her! She's getting away!"

The driver looked back to the sight of the fleeing young girl and then went to jump down from his seat so he could follow her. But he was stopped from running after her when a second arrow slammed itself into the side of the wagon right in front of him, causing him to gasp as he looked up. When he did, he saw Link slowly emerging from the bushes he'd been camouflaged in, his arrow at the ready, aiming it at the driver in specific, though he knew he could turn an aim at any of them at any given moment if he needed to.

"Who the hell are you!?" Yelled the man with the arrow still in his wrist as he pushed himself up from his knees, having managed to unpin himself from the wagon with a grunt of pain, now glaring in Link's direction.

"Doesn't really matter," Link replied, "and I don't care who you are either. I just know I'm not letting either of you sell some defenseless girl into the hands of a pervert."

"You said no one followed you!"

The old man's yell was ignored, the owners of the wagon watching Link carefully instead of paying him any mind, and in response to his words of disallowing them to continue what they were doing, the driver asked, "Oh really? And just how do you plan on stopping us?"

Link's face remained angry and determined, his response simple, "You both know how good of a shot I am already, so I don't think you're really dumb enough to try anything too fast." Before he could say more, two people emerged from the trees near them, Zelda with the young woman who'd gone running quickly when Link had shown up, and they moved in behind Link slowly, evening up the odds - though Link hadn't particularly felt overwhelmed at all.

"Wait just a minute now," the old man started yelling again, "I had nothing to do with this!"

"Be quiet, you despicable old windbag!"

The young girl had yelled the insult at the old man, and Zelda squeezed her shoulder, attracting the redhead's attention, silently telling her to calm down for a moment. When she'd gotten quiet, Zelda said, "Link, she told me they have more girls chained in the back of the wagon. As for you," she looked at the old man, "she's right. You were bartering for her. I think you're just as involved in this as they are. So keep quiet, else you stick your foot in your mouth."

The old man glared at the three of them again, but he did keep quiet, and Link asked, "Where are the keys to the chains?"

"I have them," the man with the arrow through his wrist spoke.

"You," Link replied, speaking to the driver. "Take them, slowly, and toss them over here."

The driver grumbled, and Link lifted his head, tightening the shooting string with his arrow perched upon it, getting the man's head into his view. Link certainly wasn't a merciless killer, but he had no qualms with taking off the head of a man who was going to do something as despicable as this one was, and the no nonsense look on his face showed it.

"I said," he started on a stern tone of voice, "take them slowly and toss them over here, otherwise I might lose my grip on this arrow. I can only hold it for so long, you know."

Sighing, the driver slowly reached over finally like Link had told him to and took the keys from his comrade's belt. Turning, he held them up slowly and then tossed them over, the metal key hitting the ground near Link's feet with a soft thud. As this happened, Zelda reached down for them and lifted them up, hearing Link telling her, "Go with the girl and unchain the others."

Zelda had no qualms in doing so, but she was curious. "What do you intend to do, Link?"

She saw a little smirk on his face as he considered his thoughts and how justified they'd be. After a moment, he replied, "Just give them a taste of their own medicine."

With those words, Zelda nodded in understanding, knowing exactly what Link intended on doing. Turning, she went with the girl to the back of the top-covered wagon and the redhead pushed the back flap open, revealing a sad sight to the Princess-to-be. There were six more of them hidden in the back of the wagon, filthy and probably hungry, ranging in age from Zelda's own, all the way down to one who looked to be fourteen or so. They were all chained with shackles around their necks, and knowing what they were to be used for was the worst part of all. Zelda handed the key to the young redhead who'd initially escaped somewhat mindlessly as she stared at the sight.

She felt ill, somewhat lightheaded, as if she were going to be sick. Had the reign Ganondorf brought down upon Hyrule really led things to be this bad? Each young woman in the back of the wagon looked scared, some even traumatized, and the filth they were in was enough to make it stink to the point of worsening the illness Zelda had begun to feel.

A few moments later, each girl was free of her prison, and they'd all gladly taken to putting the three men in the back of the wagon save for two of the girls who just sat quietly at the front of the vehicle while their captors were shackled inside of it by their own throats. As this had gone on, Zelda had taken a reprieve for a few moments to get a breath of fresh air, as well as to try and keep herself from losing the meal she'd cooked before she'd fallen asleep, not to mention she needed to try and cope with the whole situation, unsure she could have held her temper long enough to let the girls shackle the men before she killed them herself.

Finally, she came walking back toward the sight, checking on the two girls sitting near the horses quietly, and she leaned down, having taken her flask from her horse to hand to them so they could sip the water from it. As they did this, she gave them both warm smiles and stood up, allowing them to keep the flask for now before she headed toward Link.

Seeing her, Link asked, "Are you alright?"

He put his hand on her upper arm when she reached him, because he'd seen how pale she'd looked before when she'd first gotten off of the wagon. Zelda nodded her head slowly, hearing the older of the girls that had been freed ushering the youngest of the two to the front of the vehicle. For the moment while she watched, Zelda held herself in check, simply replied that she was alright, and she told Link what she thought.

"We should take them to that stream to get cleaned up, that is if you don't mind watching the wagon so those men don't escape."

"No, I don't mind at all," he shook his head, still looking a bit worried about her. Turning, he took her with him, and they did as she'd suggested. A short while later, the girls were all cleaning themselves up in the stream and getting drinks of water in the process. Link was sitting on Epona at the back of the wagon nearby, cleaning his blade and making sure it was nice and sharp just to keep the men he was watching over from thinking any thoughts about trying to run away, while Zelda helped the girls to finish their tasks, also feeding them what provisions of food she'd brought along considering that some of them had complained of starving.

"What's your name?" One of the younger girls asked Zelda.

Zelda knelt down, pulling some bread from her satchel, handing it to the girl. "I'm Zelda, and you?"

"I'm Rika," she replied, taking the bread. "I'm from Roshala Village."

"That's a pretty name," Zelda said, finding it was sad that only a few days ago had she and Link been in Roshala, wondering if Rika had recently been abducted. "I'm from Kakariko, so that makes us something like neighbors."

"Thank you," Rika said, trying to give Zelda a smile before hugging her. Zelda, returning the hug, smiled back at the fourteen year old's gratitude, considering how her loathing for what had happened to her grew in those few moments.

"There's no need for thanks, Rika, I'm only sorry we didn't happen across you sooner." Letting go of the girl, Zelda stood up straight and asked her, "Are you all from Roshala?"

A voice from behind Zelda spoke, "No, I'm from Engleton. We're all from different villages and locations. Those men have been riding about, kidnaping young girls for a long time, selling them off for rupees as slaves and...well, you know."

Zelda turned around to see the same redheaded girl standing there, and she held out her hand in greeting. "I'm Kiama. They just took me yesterday from my home. I think I had the easiest time here, but Jada over there," she waved her hand, "has been with them the longest, and she'll need the most help to recover."

Zelda looked over at the girl named Jada, one of the more traumatized ones whom was about her age exactly, with long hair about the same color as her own. She was leaning against a tree near the shore quietly, and Zelda could easily see herself sitting in the same manner so silently with seemingly nothing in her eyes at all. It was as if the girl's spirit had been broken completely. Rika had gone over to her and began to offer some of her bred over to Jada, and as Zelda watched, a tear fell down her cheek which she quickly wiped away, the notion that she could have wound up with this same fate scaring her for a moment.

Kiama's voice thankfully interrupted the path of her thoughts however. "My father will care for her until we can find her family," Kiama went on. "So she's going to be okay eventually. But, I wanted to ask you something. Your man's name is Link?"

Hearing those words, Zelda looked back at Kiama and blinked, uncertain how to respond to that, "Um, yes, that's Link, but he's not my...you know."

"Oh," Kiama nodded, "well, I was only wondering if I could tell him thank you too."

"Of course," Zelda nodded, "go ahead."

Kiama gave her a smile, then hesitantly, she reached out and hugged Zelda tightly, both of them fighting off their tears now. Once they'd hugged, they both helped the rest of the girls get ready to go.

When the seven ladies came walking back toward the wagon from getting cleaned up, Link saw them and he smirked. "Well, your wardens are back. So I've got to go." Snorting in amusement over it, having enjoyed seeing the men being put in the position they'd put the girls into, Link turned and dismounted Epona, grabbing her reigns before leading her away from the back of the wagon he'd been settled at.

As he did, he saw Kiama standing there staring at him somewhat shyly, and he slowly headed over to her, "Are you okay?"

Kiama was quiet for a moment, her hand drawn up to her lips, and she nodded slowly with tears brimming in her eyes. Reaching out, she hugged him tightly and said thank you to him with a good deal of sincerity and enthusiasm. "Thank you _so_ much, sir!"

Link didn't automatically hug her back because she'd moved so quickly it'd surprised him, but he did reach up and pat her shoulders comfortingly, replying, "It's fine, those guys can't hurt you anymore."

"I know, thanks to you." Sniffling, she stood back straight and cleared her throat, adding, "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help myself. I mean, they kidnaped me yesterday, and when I found out what was going on, I was so scared. They've been going to all kinds of places and finding unsuspecting young women, selling them to whomever's buying. I told your lady friend about this, and I wanted to say thank you both for everything you've done."

Link looked up to see Zelda standing near by, listening to the conversation, and he looked back down to Kiama and asked her, "Where did they kidnap you from?"

"Engleton," she replied.

Link thought about that for a moment. He'd been to Engleton once before, several years ago, and he knew it was on the way to Lake Hylia, a small town, friendly people there that all knew one another, so it seemed like a perfect target to abduct a young girl from. Glancing at Zelda, he told her, "They can make it to Engleton before the end of the day on the wagon trail. They should probably start heading there now."

"We can?" Kiama asked. Being on the back of the wagon for so long hadn't allowed her to see where they were, so she wasn't sure, and she went on, "Then we can take those men there and have them imprisoned for what they've done. My father's on the town's head council. He'll definitely be able to make sure they pay for what they've done."

Zelda gave her a smile as she added, "And you can go back to your family again."

Kiama suddenly smiled more brightly than she had in a good while, her eyes still brimming with tears, turning and hugging Zelda again in even more appreciation. Zelda hugged the girl back, feeling a weight lifted from her own heart for being able to help the suffering young women they'd found, even if it hadn't been soon enough for a few of them, but what counted was that they were all free now.

Watching them while they hugged and unable to help a smile, Link told Kiama, "Just take the wagon trail, we'll lead you there, and then follow it all the way to Engleton. If you're from there, it shouldn't be long before things start looking familiar to you."

Kiama nodded as she let go of Zelda, looking over at Link, asking, "You won't come with us?"

"We can't," Link replied, "the wagon trail is too dangerous for us right now. It's a long story."

"Oh," she drew out, seeming a little sad that they would have to part paths, but she heard one of the girls calling her name out, distracting her for a brief moment. As this happened, she said, "I'll go tell them, and you can lead us all to it. Maybe we'll see you there sometime?"

"We _are_ heading that way, so it's possible," Zelda nodded with a promise, "go on and let them all know. We'll get you all started."

She watched Kiama run off with a renewed smile on her face over hearing that they might meet again soon. Watching Kiama go, Zelda could only think of one thought in that moment.

She and Link had to fix things soon, before more incidents like this started happening.


	24. Matters of the Heart

_Chapter 23 - Matters of the Heart_

He'd packed away his things and put them on the horse's saddle, his actions swift and thorough with the morning light guiding his way. Not long after he'd loaded up his saddle, he'd gone to the stables and opened the doors, leading the horses out of their stalls before sending them off into a gallop to run down along the road. Watching the animals go free, he turned and went back to the front of his home and to the horse he'd packed before, rubbing the grey stallion's nose before he took the reigns.

"It looks as if we're to be lone friends once again."

After telling the horse this, he went to the horses side and mounted him, his hooded cloak in place, and he lifted his hand, looking at his palm before he glanced in the direction of the home he'd lived for so long in alone. He had nothing left here, all that was of value to him rested in his satchels now, nothing leaving a trace here that he'd been around. It was time now to say goodbye.

Lyonel knew who was coming any moment now. Soldiers from Hyrule Palace. They'd been spotted incoming by the villagers, heard by happen chance when they'd passed by his home, and he knew exactly why they were there.

It was time for him to go.

Turning his hand as his palm began to glow red, he unleashed a burst of fire which shot forth from it with a good bit of force, slamming into the front of his house and consuming the front wall nearly entirely from the very beginning, the flames lapping at the rest of the structure quickly as he turned away to head toward his stables.

While his house was consumed with fire, he brought down the same fate upon the stables across the road from it, then took off on horseback swiftly, leading away from Roshala Village. As he went, a small contingency of soldiers rode up and over the hill that showed them his house, stopping when they spied the flaming structures, the smoke rising higher and higher into the atmosphere. Beyond the homes, in the distance past the flames and smoke, the soldiers could see a rider on horseback heading toward the forests the road led into, the man they were currently after.

Arden, sitting amongst the soldiers, shook his head slowly, scoffing as he watched the rider going. "Lyonel, you old fool."

"Are we pursuing, sir?"

"Of course we are, you idiot. But at a distance," Arden added, glancing toward the man for a moment, and then looking ahead again. "I want to see where he's heading off to."

"We do have the advantage, sir. If he knew we were so close, he wouldn't only just be leaving."

"Exactly," Arden smirked. "Come on," he called out to the rest of them, "ride!"

As they began their pursuit, Lyonel himself didn't stop riding for quite a while, finding himself in the thick of the woods shortly after he'd set his home and stables ablaze, keeping off of the beaten path. His horse was heading south down the middle of a stream to help hide his tracks. The path he'd taken, to the west of Roshala and away from Death Mountain, in order to head the long way around, took him fairly close to the Kokiri's forest, a race of perpetual children whom dwelled there throughout their lives, and were thought to be the keepers of fairies, though Lyonel knew better. The Kokiri just got along well with the particular race of tiny fliers.

He'd taken the path due to his knowledge of the Kokiri and their playful mannerisms, the fact that he'd been blessed with the ability to establish a good relationship with their people, whom had withdrawn themselves from the kingdom of Hyrule over the years due to the new powers of royalty having risen up.

This being the case however, they were still friendly with those loyal to the old royalty, and most of them knew him, so if trouble came his way, he knew he could hide easily. Though burdening the Kokiri for even a short amount of time wasn't what he was aiming for.

Lyonel had an entirely different destination in mind. He was planning on heading, eventually, to Lake Hylia, due to rumors spreading like a wildfire of a resistance which was still small in numbers, but he felt it was the best place to go. He just had to take a long way around due to the possibility of being followed.

As he rode along, he saw in the distance the shrubs, trees, and bushes woven together so thickly you couldn't see past them, nor would you be able to cut through the enchanted vines with an ordinary sword, holding a protective boundary to the lands of the Kokiri's forests. Thinking of the child race, he knew he should draw away now that he could see their domain to keep trouble from coming to them, and he pulled his horse off of the stream and back onto the dirt floor of the forest again, heading away from that thick wall of plants guarding their homeland.

It wasn't long before he came across a dirt covered path which he knew well. If he went right, he'd go directly into the Kokiri domain, and if he went left, he'd start heading for Hyrule's fields. Turning left, he also remembered there was a Myriad Stone just ahead of himself, and as he came over a hilltop, he could see it not too far ahead of his horse, glowing softly, the light somewhat like a beacon of hope to himself and the other outcasts of Hyrule's kingdom.

He slowed to a stop on his horse as he drew near the stone sitting atop it's pedestal, and while he understood that right now, time was of essence to him, he'd yet to come across a stone since Myriad's awakening, and he wanted to see for himself.

Approaching it, he reached out slowly, letting his fingers gently touch the smooth surface. His shadowed face lowered a bit as he spoke softly, her name coming from his lips, "Myriad..."

The same reaction occurred as whenever Link touched the stone to talk to the Sage, and Lyonel heard her voice for the first time in seventeen years, since she'd sealed herself inside of the Sacred Realm initially to protect both the Triforce as well as to keep Dragmire from so easily using her power for his own.

"Lyonel," she replied, her voice just as soft as his had been. "I was hoping to hear from you."

Hearing her voice, he found his lips raising in half of a sad smile, nodding as he breathed slowly, "I don't have mich time, but I wanted to see for myself that you'd awoken. I have Ganondorf's soldier's on my trail. He must have Impa, otherwise this wouldn't have happened so soon. She's the only one who knew where I was hiding."

"I see," Myriad replied, "and she would have only given any information in order to stop some type of evil from taking place."

"Yes, so it's apparent that Ganondorf had some kind of plan she's delaying. But I also needed to let you know that, when you next speak with Link, tell him there's a resistance forming near Lake Hylia. That's where I'm heading now. If he wants to find me, that's where I'll be."

They both knew their time was up with those words. Though this was true however, Lyonel felt as if his hand might have been glued to the stone. When he didn't immediately pull it away, Myriad told him, "Go swiftly Lyonel, so that we might speak again sooner rather than later."

Taking in a deep breath of fortification, Lyonel nodded his head, then whispered words he'd wanted to say again to her for a long time now.

"I still love you, Myriad. We _will_ speak again soon."

His eyes closing, he gripped the stone a bit more tightly, then finally released it, moving back to his horse and mounting it again. Instead of just remorse though, he also felt a surge of anger, and he used that to push himself on, into a hard gallop and away from the stone that, had he the ability, he would have camped by, in order to speak with his lost wife since it was his only form of communication with her. But telling her he still loved her he knew would bring her some form of joy after all of her years of imprisonment - the least he could do for a woman who'd sacrificed so much of her happiness for so many people.

He would not be caught on the way to Lake Hylia now, and he would not fail her. He would reach the pristine shores and there he would join the resistance and lead it, make it a safe haven for those standing against the King until Link could take him down for good.

A short while after he'd left the stone, the soldiers following him came up toward it. They could see his tracks in the dirt road, and Arden smirked, looking at the stone, then at the direction they led off in. "So, we're stopping to speak to the old ball and chain, hmm? Ah well, she _was_ a looker."

"Who, Myriad?" One of his subordinates asked.

"No, the Queen," Arden replied sarcastically with a roll of his working eye.

"Lyonel was married to Queen Nissandra?"

Arden gave a glare to the man whom had asked the question, and he turned his arm and back handed him, sending him flying off of his horse with the words, "You dolt! Don't speak unless spoken to!"

Laying on the ground, the man held his jaw as he pushed himself back up quickly, trying to regain his bearings. "Yes sir!," he drew out to his superior, and with a look of disgust, Arden turned his head away and began to move forward again.

Lyonel had tricked them up for certain, using the stream to hide his tracks, but they'd eventually found him again, and Arden wanted to waste no time, remembering his old foe could be a slippery one. Even still, Arden got the feeling that wherever Lyonel was heading, it was important enough to let him continue on without being followed too swiftly. Arden would just have to pull out all of the stops with his tracking.

Though, somehow he got the feeling that with these bumbling idiots following him, he'd only be slowed down. So he'd keep them with him just long enough to reach the field, then send them to wait until he'd been able to see for himself the direction of Lyonel's path.

---

The girls were all heading to safety.

Zelda watched them go, the light of the morning shining down through gloomy clouds that promised rain over the wagon trail she and Link, or more specifically, Link had led them to, and then she mounted Frost after saying her goodbyes. Link, confident in the fact that the right thing had been done, also watched them go with the peace of mind that they would more than likely be alright on their way to Engleton.

As he watched, he heard Zelda sigh. The sound drew his attention, and he moved into a trot toward her, close enough that his leg was brushing hers while they sat on their horses. Reaching out, able to tell by the look on her face that she wasn't just okay as she'd reassured him earlier she was, he took her hand in order to comfort her. He knew the thought of what had happened to the girls by itself had been hard enough on her, and he just waited to see what she'd say now that they were alone again. Zelda watched his fingers folding around hers, and she fought with her feelings for only a moment, but she suddenly started crying, unable to help herself anymore.

"How could anyone do something so horrible!?" She asked as she put her face in her hand, shivering with the intense emotion she felt, sorrow for what those girls had to endure, and complete disgust toward the men who'd put them through it.

Link took a breath, understanding exactly how she felt, and reached over for her since he could see she definitely wasn't just okay. The whole thing had made her sick, he knew that much, and as he moved, Zelda glanced up, felt him pulling her over onto Epona's back with a very slight grunt, settling her across his lap. She didn't struggle, and just reached up to hug him, burying her face against his shoulder while she cried. Link let her, hated seeing her this way, rubbing a hand up and down her back slowly in order to try to soothe her.

As she cried over the thought of the terrorized women, she heard Link's voice telling her, "There's a lot of unscrupulous people out there, even more now that Ganondorf's on the throne. That's why we've got to keep going no matter what happens. To stop all of this from going on."

While she listened and hugged him so tightly, she thought about those words, and knew Link was right. She also remembered one of the girls telling her that she was lucky to have a man like Link who cared about what happened to others like he did. Zelda wanted to tell the girl she'd been a bit mistaken, the same as Kiama had been, but at the same time, Zelda had liked the sound of it too much to get anything out in time before the girl got distracted with something else.

Not to mention, the way he was holding her now was definitely calming her down, soothing her, and she almost didn't want to return to Frost's back, not yet anyway. She just stayed where she was for a moment, letting herself recover from her tears and the painful ache in her heart for what had happened to the women they'd just set free, and concentrated on how warm he felt.

She didn't care at that moment in time if it was a bad idea, she needed the distraction.

Link had rested his arms around her as she slowly started calming down. Quietly, his mind went over the same types of thoughts that her's had. Though he'd definitely been saddened to find out what had happened to the young ladies they'd set free, he'd been enraged as well. Those girls weren't any older, if much at all, than Zelda or himself, and if someone had gone to Kakariko and kidnaped Zelda the way they had been...

His grip around her had tightened. The thoughts made him angry all over again, and he felt possessive to boot, as if not only did the thought of her being sold to a man for disgusting purposes make him completely angry and sick to his stomach if for only general reasons alone, much less the fact that he was so close to her, but it also made him want to think one word, and that word surprised him a good bit.

Mine.

The level of possession that rose up through him, aside from the protectiveness, caught him off guard, and Link glanced down at the bronzed blonde hair hanging from the back of her head as she so comfortably rested against him. There were those pesky feelings again he'd began to feel for her, but there was no way he'd ever push her away from him, especially not when she needed him like she did now. He always wanted her to be this comfortable with him, able to come to him for help, never wanted to see her cringing away from him because of some type of trauma. This wasn't about his feelings for her, and he would, of course, keep true to his promise, making sure she was alright before he considered anything else.

Reaching up, he brushed some of her hair over her shoulder and asked her if she was feeling any better now after allowing her to have some quiet time just hugging him.

Zelda took a deep breath, nodding slowly as she sat back after he'd asked the words, looking up at his face. Seeing her tear stained cheeks, Link reached his hand up and used his thumb and index finger to wipe them away gently.

The soft touch he used almost caused her to cry again. He really did care, Zelda thought as she turned her pouted expression up toward him, grabbing his hand before he could pull it from her face, folding her fingers through his. He watched her silently as she did this, wondering for a moment to himself if they were getting too close, because this definitely wasn't a simply friendly way of interacting with the girl he'd known since he was a child.

She needed the comfort, he reminded himself before he assumed she was showing him the same kind of affection he'd developed for her, staying true to his promise not to let himself get carried away with the nagging feelings of care and attraction he'd been having toward her. So instead of reacting by doing what he most wanted to do - yet again - and kiss away the frown on her face, he just told her the most logical thing in his head that he could think of.

"I wouldn't ever let something like that go on with anyone, especially not with you."

Was it just him, or had that come out all wrong? It sounded as if he cared a great deal more than he wanted it to sound like, but then again, could that really have been helped? Guessing not, he decided he'd just wait for her response to see how she'd take it.

"I know," she nodded, her head tilted downward as a breeze picked up and over them, her eyes settled on their hands, her right in his left, fingers threaded together. She didn't know why she'd done that, held his hand that way, but she couldn't help herself. She just wanted to be close to him, remind herself somehow that he was right there with her, and she took a deep breath while she considered it. One thing she noticed was that his hands were much bigger than her own, and she wondered for a brief moment why she'd never realized that before. But she had to push the inconsequential thought from her head before she went down a path that would inevitably embarrass her endlessly.

"I know you wouldn't," she continued on from before, risking a look back up at his face. "I just can't help being sensitive I suppose. I could just see myself in those girls, the same age as I am, even younger, and every time I think about it, it just scares me a little. I want so badly for this to all be over with."

"So do I," he responded. "So why don't we keep going now. Get our minds off of it. That is, if you're up to it."

Finally, a small smile lit Zelda's cheeks. Looking up to his face, she nodded her head, finding that he was smiling back at her, apparently glad she seemed to feel so much better now. Seeing this, and even though she knew she shouldn't, she asked him, "Can I ride with you for just a little while first?"

Link nodded his head, "I don't think Frost would mind," he told her with that same smile still in place. "And I don't care at all."

"Oh, I forgot, Epona might–"

Link interrupted her, shaking his head, "She'll be okay for a short while. We both rode her before. Besides, I think she misses you." He'd started heading off and away from the wagon trail and into the trees in a trot as he spoke, somehow wondering if it was just the horse that missed her, or himself. But instead of voicing that, he simply went on, "We'll just go slow, and when you're ready, you can get back on Frost and we'll go a bit faster."

"Okay," she nodded, hugging him for being so good to her. Riding through the forest slowly now, Frost's reigns in Link's hand to keep the horse on the same path they were riding on, they chatted idly, just enjoying each other's company and the morning rays of light starting to shine in through the broken clouds before it went away again.

Even though they shouldn't have. But what would happen later would be later. For now, they were just close, and that was all they both wanted. A world of their own far away from the one that awaited them.

---

As Link had promised the girls, the ride to Engleton for himself and his companion would take a good bit longer not using the wagon trail than it would actually going that way. But of course, Link and Zelda weren't trying to stick to more popular road sides, needing as little trouble as possible to pass between them and their goals, because they had enough of it as it was.

The day that passed was a long one. The ride seemed to go on forever somehow, finally the two of them making camp in a forest glen during a rain storm that had started sometime during midday and didn't seem as if it wanted to stop. Tired, wet, cold, and hungry, they knew a break was definitely needed.

They set up a tent to sleep under, side by side, perhaps a foot of room between them, while the rains pattered down over their heads from above against their temporary roofing. The relaxing sound drove them both into a deep slumber, one in which Zelda started dreaming. It started out plainly enough, just simple oddities she knew she wouldn't be able to explain away whenever she woke up that really didn't mean anything whatsoever.

But soon enough, those visions turned to something that felt much more meaningful. She could hear her name being called from the Palace of Hyrule again, as if her parents were trapped somewhere in the bowels of the structure, wanting to tell her things, needing her help in order to do so, and she awoke when she couldn't reach them.

Her eyes opening from the dream-induced anxiety, she saw Link's sleeping visage across from her as he lay on his back, breathing evenly, apparently soundly resting. It was still the middle of the night, and with a sigh of breath, as she sat forward, completely dry now from the falling rains they'd had to ride through that day. As she sat there quietly, she considered the dream she'd been having.

This was the second time, the first being in Roshala when they'd stayed with Lyonel. Zelda knew the dream had a meaning now, both because of the fact that when she'd first had it, it had seemed somewhat significant, but also, now, because it had become recurring. Impa had told her those were the two best ways to tell if a dream was actually a vision or some other form of foresight, instead of just random images in the mind while someone was sleeping.

She got the feeling she knew what it meant as well, that her family line was urging her to restore them and their lineage to the throne, and in thought, she pushed herself up quietly and left the tent. Perhaps, if there was more of a meaning, it would show itself to her in time when she was ready to know it, but for now, she felt she had a good grasp and wanted to go take care of her personal matters before she tried to sleep again.

The rains had stopped, leaving a damp coolness about the ground that made Zelda glad for her boots. It'd grown fairly cold at night due to the time of year, and with the blanket around her shoulders that she'd been using to keep warm while in the small tent she and Link had set up, she went over to the horses and rubbed their noses to make sure they were both fine. Epona and Frost snorted at her when she did, making her smile at them both.

"I guess you two have a tough job as well. Carrying us about can't always be that fun. But I promise we'll look after you as well as possible."

After she told them that, she reached up and covered her mouth with a little yawn. Zelda knew she should lay back down, being the middle of the night as it'd been, but she was still too wound up to do so in that moment. Sighing softly, her breath coming out as steam due to the cooler night air, she continued paying attention to the horses when she looked down to notice Link's sword and his shield sitting close to the tent where he could grab them incase he needed them.

Becoming curious, Zelda leaned down, brushing her fingertips over the hilt of the Master Sword, and she tilted her head. Link had told her he would help her learn how to fight, and she wondered if he would teach her some sword play. Impa had given her very basic instruction, not enough to suffice with the type of thing she and Link were questing over now, but enough to get her started. Still, she somehow knew it might be fruitless to try with this sword, the one that could only be wielded by the chosen.

But she wanted to see it a bit more closely, and she gripped the hilt, as well as the sheath, not wishing to pull it free, just lift it up from the ground. When she did, she stumbled with a heavy weight. Narrowing her brows, she realized the sword was as heavy as anything she'd ever tried to lift before, and she could get it up, but it took a good bit of muscle to do so. Slowly letting go of it, she blinked a few times over the revelation.

So is _that_ why no one else could wield it? Smiling a slight bit, Zelda heard the flap of the tent opening, and glancing over, she saw Link pushing his way out of it.

Standing up, seeing her as he put his hand over his mouth and yawned, followed by a stretch and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he asked, "Can't sleep?"

"Well," she shook her head, "I slept, I just woke up because of a dream. What about you? I didn't wake you did I?"

"I started waking up when I felt you moving," he admitted, "but I think I was waking up anyway. What are you doing out here?"

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "and nothing much, just patting the horses, admiring your sword. Which, by the way, happens to be quite heavy, sir."

The words made one of his brows perk up. "It is?" He asked, confused.

"Mmm hmm," she drew out, "I could barely get it off of the ground."

"So that's why no one else can use it," he mused aloud, reaching for it, and then drawing it out of the sheath without any problem at all. "Feels light as a feather to me."

She watched him slice the blade to the side as if it were nothing, knowing that the sword was it's true weight when he wielded it, drawing in a breath with a nod of her head before telling him, "Those were my sentiments. I was a little disappointed too. I was hoping to learn a bit about it."

"Using it?" He asked her, and when she nodded, he looked back at the blade, then thought about it. Pursing his lips, he smiled, "We don't need this to show you how. Stay right here."

Link, like Zelda, felt fairly rested from their slumber, and Zelda watched him curiously as he sheathed his sword and borrowed her dagger, turning to walk away for a few minutes. What was he doing? Waiting patiently, considering his actions as he looked through the trees and bushes, he finally seemed to find what he was looking for with a nod of his head and used the dagger to cut a decently sized limb from a bush, bringing it back toward her while cutting the leaves from it's sides.

Zelda smiled brightly. A wooden sword so to speak. It made sense. She wouldn't get hurt making any mistakes. Pulling her blanket from her shoulders, Zelda turned to set it inside of the tent, and she then stepped over to him and waited until he was done clearing the thick branch of leaves, then he handed the dagger back to her. Placing it onto her belt where it usually rested, she looked back up as Link stepped in beside of her and took her hand, placing it on the bottom of the limb, followed by putting her other beneath it.

"I carved a notch so you can see where the guard is. Have you ever used a sword before at all?"

"Well, Impa showed me some basics. I know the proper stances."

She parted her legs beneath her to show him that she was telling the truth, and he watched, then nodded, "Good. That skirt won't be good for movement though."

"I know," she smiled, "but we're just learning, so it won't hurt for now."

Smiling, Link stepped in behind her, putting a hand on her opposite arm, pulling it back and around so that it was bent outward just slightly. "Keep your elbows bent but close to your side," he showed her, "that way it's harder for opponents to hit you, and you can lash out if you need to. What else did Impa show you?"

"Hmm," Zelda thought aloud, then she turned the limb she held in a circle using one hand, and did it fairly quickly. "I've practiced doing that much," she replied, "because I wanted to learn one handed swordplay. I used my left too, just to make sure both of them were capable."

With a nod of his head, Link commended her and started showing her a bit more, some basic swipes, making her perform them a few times, and she seemed to do so with ease. She appeared to be a very patient learner, easy to work with, and he got the feeling that if they kept this up, she'd be at least at a basic level of swordplay in no time at all. Everything he showed her, she took in with interest, making him also feel as if he were doing a good job teaching.

He'd been a bit worried he might have gotten distracted by unwanted thoughts on how she looked or some such thing. But as it turned out, while those types of thoughts were there, they didn't take his mind off of what they were doing as much as he'd thought they might. Whenever they got closer, he would keep his gaze away from her face if at all possible, just so he wouldn't really make some kind of fool of himself by staring, and helped her along without fault.

In the reverse, Zelda couldn't help but consider his instruction, and how easy he made it seem. If she made a mistake, he'd show her exactly what she'd done and just ask her to do it again, also giving her the reasons why it should be done a certain way instead of getting impatient. It made her feel better knowing he wasn't going to pick on her, and she found learning this type of thing from him was just as much fun as it was interesting. Though she did happen to find herself blushing without meaning to whenever he had to put his arms around her and correct her position.

She hoped he didn't notice the coloring on her cheeks whenever she did so, but such situations were made easier to handle whenever he'd crack a little joke, especially when he brought up the lines 'now if a chicken flew at you, what would you do?'

That had her laughing and unable to concentrate for a few moments until she could get herself to sober up. Once she did, and after a few more minutes of work, Link stepped out in front of her and finally said, "Okay, let's do some footwork."

Nodding, Zelda watched the position he got into on his legs, and she went to mimic it. Getting into the position, realizing this might be a bit more difficult due to the fact that she was wearing a dress, she listened as he instructed her to pivot on her left before she moved with her right arm, so she follow his instructions, and surely enough, the stance she'd made had elongated her skirt enough that she stepped on the garment and stumbled a slight bit.

"Whoa, are you alright?" Link asked when he saw it.

Zelda smirked and nodded, "The skirt," she reminded him, then she got back down and used her free hand to lift the dress up a bit in order to keep from stepping on it. She tried to move again, and succeeded, and then followed him as he turned the other way and pivoted on his right.

The skirt didn't get in the way that time, however, with the dress blocking the sight of the ground, her boot came down onto a rock and unsteadied her, causing her to gasp as she lost her balance. Tumbling backwards, Link grabbed her around her waist, and her momentum forced him to swing her around and land on his own side with her against him. Zelda stared for a moment, wide eyed, looking down to see the rock she'd stepped on uncovered now, and she sighed out a grumbled breath.

"I suppose this will have to wait until I have the proper attire," she mused aloud, then she suddenly started snickering over the situation. Link watched her mirth as she then pointed out, "The look on your face."

"What?" He asked, brows narrowed, "What about it?"

"You looked so concerned," she snickered loudly, "I'm sorry, I'm not picking at you, honestly! I can't help it though."

Link had smiled by the end of her comment while he sat back up with her, watching her as she laughed, the type of expression he would have rather seen on her face than the frowns she'd had the day before when they'd come across those girls, and explained, "Well, I thought you'd hurt yourself, so I'm sorry if I was worried. Besides, you would've gotten mad at me if I'd just let you fall."

Zelda gave him an incredulous look, shaking her head as she tried not to grin but failed, "I would not!"

"Sure, say that now," he teased.

"You're impossible," she told him with a very slight shove of his arm, still snickering softly as she went to try and straighten her now twisted skirts out, "the ground's wet too. Let's get up before we catch a cold." She turned to get her leg under herself as he pushed his own leg forward, and with the movements, she found herself coming close to him, face to face this time, making the both of them suddenly stop despite the fact that the ground was getting parts of their clothing wet.

Her nose was almost brushing his, their eyes catching, and they both forgot about their need to get off of the wet ground almost immediately. The draw she felt to him in that moment was nearly impossible to ignore, and she became dumbfounded, getting caught in a position she'd been trying to avoid with his face only a few brief inches from hers. Link felt that same exact thing, looking her face over, the moment settling in on him just right, and he wanted to take advantage of it more than he ever had before.

Zelda stayed quiet, didn't move, and he watched her quietly as she stared up at him. She was, in his opinion, too beautiful for words, and he couldn't help but notice her scent. That floral scent she somehow always managed to smell like. Those thoughts in mind, feeling himself losing his battle to just get up and pretend nothing was happening at all, he slowly moved forward, the tips of their noses brushing together. He stopped himself though, wanting to be sure she wasn't feeling uncomfortable, and when she didn't move, when her eyes slowly closed, he went to lean in a little further.

_Is he going to kiss me!?_ Zelda couldn't help the thought as it exploded in her mind, her heartbeat quickening as their noses had touched and he'd stopped for a moment, closing her eyes due to a dizzy spell that had swept over her with his closeness. He'd then moved again, and within that moment, she knew she was ready for this, wanted him to, wanted to lean up herself despite the deep seated blush on her cheeks. She was frozen in place though with the fear that if she moved, everything would stop, and it would never happen.

Their lips almost met when they both heard an excited voice.

"It _is_ you!"

The two of them stopped suddenly and looked to the side with a start, in the direction the voice had come from. Swiftly, the purple glowing orb of light that was Nissa swept down over them, coming in closer and tinkling quickly as if completely excited, having not even noticed how close the two of them had gotten to kissing due to that.

"Mira, Link! I'm so happy to see you both!"

"Nissa?," Zelda drew out, still feeling a bit dizzy, and when she felt movement next to herself, she looked over to see Link pushing himself up, heard him clearing his throat, and then offering his hand to help her up off of the ground. Some part inside of Zelda, one she couldn't help but notice, was screaming over their interrupted moment, and as she reached up and slipped her fingers into his, she kept her gaze away from his face, knowing it was way too soon to let him see the embarrassment in her eyes over what had almost happened between the two of them.

"Yes!," Nissa went on, completely oblivious to the would-be kiss scene as the two of them stood up before her, "I thought I heard someone talking and laughing, so I came to see what was going on." She flew in closer and hugged herself against Zelda's neck, and Zelda smiled, reaching up to pet the fairy's head with her fingertip.

"What are you doing out here," Link asked as Nissa did this. While he'd been irritated by the interruption, not to mention felt a bit guilty for having not just ignored the possibility of kissing Zelda to begin with like he felt he should have and almost taking advantage of her in a way, he wasn't going to just tell Nissa to go away. How could he? She was a close friend, one he was actually happy to see, and he had no business kissing Zelda specifically anyway. So Nissa's interruption actually relieved him a good bit, well, in a way.

But, he _was_ curious over what Zelda might've been thinking in that moment, and if she was uncomfortable at all now.

But he had to push the thoughts from his mind when Nissa responded to him, breaking his concentration on the kiss that could have been. "Oh! I left Kakariko in order to tell my people more about what I'd learned from Impa. There's a fairy cave near here, and I was just leaving it when I heard you two." Nissa flew back and gave them both a good look over, stopping before them once more as she added, "Link, you look so handsome!" Then she gasped, "And you have the Master Sword! It's true! I mean, I knew when the Myriad Stones worked again that you had it, but seeing it is so much different!"

Link, rubbing the back of his neck, drew out the words, "Thanks, Nissa." He wasn't uncomfortable because of the praise, but he was also fairly humble about the whole deal, as always. "Yeah, we've been through a lot since the last time we saw you."

"I'll say! Well, oh! I should take you to the cave. The fairy maiden can help you both! They told me they would be more than willing to aide the two of you."

Zelda, hearing these words, nodded and glanced over at Link, for the first time since they'd almost kissed, and she acted as cool and casual as she could, asking, "Would you like to go there?"

"Why not?" He replied, his own demeanor the same as it normally was. Looking back at Nissa, he asked, "How far is it?"

"Not too far, you can walk there if you want to. Come on!"

Deciding they should both follow her, they turned and began heading away from their small encampment to see what Nissa was talking about. In a way, considering what they were both interrupted doing, they were somewhat glad that Nissa was around so they could avoid an awkward situation for the moment, trying to explain away their actions to one another. They'd just have to talk about it later, they both knew that, and for the moment, try to move their minds away from the situation as far as possible.

But even as they walked, Zelda could feel her heart skipping a beat every time she envisioned the scene in her head again. She actually felt disappointed. Did that make her a bad person, to want to kiss her childhood friend the way she did? Maybe not, after all, he was the one leaning into her, so maybe he wanted it just as much as she had.

The realization that Link may have harbored the same types of feelings for her - though she still wasn't sure if he was just attracted to her because she was pretty or what - made her blush almost the whole way to the Fairy Cave. She was just being a silly girl with thoughts of infatuation in her head because she'd never experienced truly liking someone before as she did Link.

After all, girls seemed to like him all around. The ones in Roshala had waved at him that evening they'd rode through, saying hi to him as if they'd have loved nothing more than his attention, she qualified. He was not only a good looking young man, but he was also very noble and kind, caring, as well as unafraid to fight for what was right. Any girl would like to have a man such as that which they could share their time with, and Link could probably have any girl he put his mind to if he wanted her.

Just because he'd been about to kiss her didn't mean he felt the same way. No, it had just been one of those moments that seemed to keep strangely arising between the two of them. Zelda wasn't going to start believing that he felt romantically about her just because of that, otherwise she'd drive herself crazy. Not to mention, even though she knew he'd never break her heart, the last thing she needed was to be so distracted, right? As well as the fact that he needed a woman about, distracting him from what was important about as much as he needed a flock of chickens chasing him.

He was much too focused for that, and she wouldn't bring it up. Making up her mind, she decided that, if the topic of the possible kiss came up again, she'd just say she hadn't been sure what his intentions were and hope she'd be able to get away with it.

Matters of the heart, she decided in that moment, were definitely complicated.


	25. Your Good Name

_Chapter 24 - Your Good Name_

The greenery recently wetted by the rains in the forest sparkled in the moonlight as they moved along, following Nissa. The sound of a small waterfall grew a little heavier while they drew closer to the base of the natural formation, water tumbling down a sloped rock wall into a small pond and stream, trickling downwards gently. The small fall that couldn't be heard from the camp Link and Zelda had set up, but it was very pretty to look upon nonetheless.

Looking the scenery over, they glanced up when Nissa called to them, showing them a growth of shrubs against a rocky wall which Link reached out to and pushed back, revealing the entrance of a cave hidden behind it. So this was where it was hidden, he considered before he stepped to the side.

Looking back, he allowed Zelda to walk in first, and he stepped in behind her, letting the shrubs fall back into place once they were inside of the dark corridor. Moving on, drawing to the end of the tunnel, a magical glow of blue lit the room as if sensing their presence, revealing to them a pool of clean water with marble walls, statues standing on each end of the pool carved into Fae people. In the middle of the front wall sat a stone with the symbol of the Triforce on it, and Nissa flew over towards it.

"Touch this panel to summon her. Since you carry parts of the Triforce, it should be as simple as that."

Walking over, Zelda looked at the stone and then asked her, "Who is she again?"

"She's a fairy maiden, something like a Sage of sorts to us. This cave belongs to Lake Hylia, and she can bestow you with gifts to allow travels there to be safer if you're worthy for it. But I know you two are, so go ahead!"

Nissa flew back over Zelda's shoulder and waited, and with a nod of her head, Zelda reached over and she touched the stone. Once done, a glow began to emerge from the center of the pool they were standing before, and Zelda stepped back slowly as she watched along with Link. Bubbles began to form in the water as it lifted up, raising as if controlled by an unseen force, forming into the shape of a young maiden with wings on her back, floating there peacefully. Her blue hair and pristine appearance was no doubt due to the water she projected herself through, and glancing over at the two who had summoned her, she giggled softly.

"Nissa, you were just here! How did you find them so quickly!?"

"It was coincidence?," Nissa mused. "I honestly just happened across them!"

"Well, you're a fairy," said the maiden with a little giggle, "you're known for your good luck!" With those words spoken, she turned her attention to Link and Zelda, flittering toward the edge of the pool. Unlike Nissa, she wasn't so small, perhaps about two feet tall in height, and as she moved, the water she'd projected herself through dripped across the surface of the pool below her.

"My, what a lovely pair!," she smiled at them. "I'm and the Fairy Maiden of Lake Hylia, pleased to meet you both."

"Thank you," Zelda replied, "I am Zelda, and this is Link. We're honored."

The maiden's laughter filled the cave cutely, her words adding to it, "I'm so glad to finally meet the true daughter of Nissandra and Hadinaru! I've heard so many stories, and they were so sad, but being able to see how strong you've become gives us all hope in the Fairy Kingdom." She paused for a moment after those words, then added, "And you," she pointed at Link suddenly.

With her sudden movements, Link blinked his eyes a time or two, asking, "Yes?"

"You're a handsome one!," she smiled, leaning her head against her shoulder as if admiring him. "They never said the hero would look so good."

Link couldn't help himself, clearing his throat, actually blushing a slight bit due to who this was as well as the fact that she was actually, well, flirting with him almost. Seeing the blush, she began to giggle again, adding, "He's so modest too! Quite a rarity!"

Zelda couldn't help but smile, knowing the maiden's words were completely honest, and though she herself was attracted to Link, trying not to think of just a short while ago and what had happened, she had to snicker softly. "That he is," she responded."

Wanting the talk to get off of him, Link shook his head slowly, just saying, "Well, I'm apparently blessed with the company of pretty women as well, so I think we're all even."

"Oh, flattery!," the maiden snickered, covering her mouth with her hand. "I'd love to hear more, but I want to know first, where is it you're heading now?"

"Lake Hylia," Zelda told her. "Myriad said that was the next step of our journey."

"Wonderful! Then I have just the thing to help the both of you!"

The Fairy Maiden seemed more than happy to bestow a few gifts to them, flying up and into the air a bit higher, looking down at them. "I can increase both your magic powers. To you, Zelda, I gift with the ability to draw from Nayru's power to heal wounds should you need to." She flittered to the side a little, then added, "To Link, I give the gift of her shielding, to invoke upon yourself during treacherous times."

The Maiden turned a backwards circle in midair, the room going dark around the two she was empowering for a moment as she drew up her legs and crossed her arms over her chest. The magical whir of her abilities grew in volume as her body began to disperse outwards and towards them in a flitter of light and magic, filling Link and Zelda both with that which she'd promised them.

As this happened, and the Maiden began to fade away with a soft giggle, the blue glow to the room returned and all that was left of the Fairy Maiden was a gift sitting before them in a bottle, two pink fairies. Seeing this, Nissa flew to the glass and her wings tinkled with sound while she commented.

"Look, she gave you two healing fairies too! That was kind of her!"

Link stepped forward and lifted the bottle up, nodding his head at Nissa, "It will definitely come in handy." With those words, he looked back at Zelda and asked, "So you can heal wounds now and I'm able to shield myself?"

"Yes," she nodded, walking over to look at the fairies for a moment. "It's called Nayru's Love, and eventually, you'll be able to project it onto other people."

Was she trying to distract herself from looking at him? Link had to wonder that as he listened to her because she hadn't looked at him since they'd been in camp. Right now she'd just wanted to look at the fairies herself while he held them, turning to offer them to her to carry if she wished.

He really hoped he hadn't done anything wrong at the camp. If Nissa wasn't around, he would have asked her, but since it was a personal matter, he had to let it go for now. They'd have a lot of time to talk on it later, and instead of focusing on that, when Zelda took the bottle from him, he just went on, "I guess we should get going though. It will be daylight soon, and we might be able to arrive at Engleton during the afternoon if we do."

Finally, Zelda looked at him. He was glad for that, seeing the nod and smile she gave, hoping maybe she was just embarrassed still. After all, he got the feeling she'd never been specifically close to someone before, so that did make sense, and it did relieve him a good bit. Concentrating on that fact - as well as promising himself not to put her in a situation like that again - he started leading them both out of the cave.

As they began walking, Zelda looked to the fairy following them and asked, "Nissa, would you like to accompany us? Or are there others you need to inform?"

"Really? I would love to go with you! I've told everyone I can already, so I'm free to tag along!"

With a smile as the fairy sat on Zelda's shoulder, she replied, "Good, then we can all catch up on what's been happening."

Link, pushing the shrubs to the side again, allowed both ladies out of the cave once more before he followed in behind them. As they went, he thought about all they had to tell her, trying to consider for himself everything they'd been through thus far. In doing so, he remembered one of the first problems they'd encountered, and his mind settled on his dark half. It'd been a while since they'd heard from the shadow, and Link could only wonder when the next time they might see him again would be.

Hopefully not too soon. As far as Link was concerned, he hoped the bastard had stepped into a chicken coop and been pecked to death. But, Link got the sinking feeling that anything which could stop him just hadn't happened.

Sadly, he got the feeling they'd be meeting again fairly soon.

---

The afternoon was still a grey and gloomy one. The clouds had grown to be a part of the landscape it seemed, two days straight now with very little sunlight. Heading down the path, toward the town of Engleton, didn't seem to settle the situation either. In fact, a fog had grown, and while it wasn't completely dense, still allowing the riders to see the village before them, something seemed off about it.

Perhaps it was the smell. It seemed as if there had been a fire somewhere and the smoke smell was still lingering in the air around them. They'd ridden for a good bit of the day, telling Nissa stories and hearing her own in return while heading to the small town of Engleton, and almost there now, the scent had hit all three of them. Coming over a hill that led down into the rural village, the dirt ground muddy, patches of golden grass here and there lining the paths, Link let himself take in the scenery before him, trying to pinpoint the possibility of the fire.

But he couldn't see any particular building the arson could have been set in from their location. Nissa flew towards Zelda's belt and climbed inside of her pouch as they went, hiding there as she sometimes did just incase there was danger lurking about she may have been defenseless against, and Zelda looked on with Link. The structures of the town settled about the roadsides looked to be in good condition, telling them that wherever the fire had been, it was probably in someone's home somewhere.

Zelda couldn't shake a bad feeling that had formed in the pit of her gut, informing Link, "Something's not right."

He nodded in agreement. Things didn't seem to be equal somehow, and as they made their way into town, he replied, "Just stick close until we can find out what's going on here, alright?"

"Alright," she replied softly, glad he wasn't telling her to wait outside of the village like she'd thought he might. Instead, he'd rode on into it, and keeping up with his pace, as she looked the houses over more closely, she had a sinking feeling that whatever had happened had been something to do with their arrival, or would at least effect it somehow.

"It's so quiet for mid afternoon," Zelda told him softly, as if not to disturb that quiet herself with spoken words.

Glancing to both sides, agreeing that it was indeed silent in the small town, Link turned and dismounted Epona, deciding he might be able to cover ground easier off of his horse's back rather than on it. Seeing him, Zelda turned in her own saddle. Once her feet had hit the ground, she reached up and took Frost's reigns, then walked over to her friend. As she did, he told her, "I don't know why, but–"

Before he could get his words out, someone yelled from the nearby hill behind them, riding toward the two of them with haste.

"It's him!"

The man on horseback affirmed what Link had been thinking, what he'd been about to mention to Zelda - they were being watched. More riders came from around the corners of the roads when they heard their comrade calling to them, apparently men whom lived in the village and were possibly assigned to it's protection. Drawing closer and closer to Link and Zelda, five of them total, they were surrounded. Epona and Frost acted a bit spooked by the sudden attention, and their owners both tried to keep them calm even though they themselves weren't sure what to think of all of this. Once Epona had stopped her fretting a good bit, Link stepped toward them slowly after motioning to Zelda to stay near their own horses, handing her the reigns of Epona.

Looking up at the riders, he shook his head. The words shouted 'it's him' seemed to somehow prove to him that his sinking feeling was true. These people had mistaken him for his darker half apparently. Whatever the shadow had done, Link now had to answer for it seemed, and remembering a similar event in Roshala, Link somehow got the feeling Zelda wouldn't be able to use her innate logical sense this time around to prove his name clear of crime.

"What happened here," he asked them sincerely, knowing he'd probably get ridiculed for it, but since he honestly was innocent, he had to ask the question anyway.

"Don't pretend as if you don't know!," the very first man who'd yelled the notice to the others called to him. "I saw you with my own two eyes!"

The man accusing Link now was a bigger, burly guy, though he seemed to have more muscle than fat, though he wasn't a body builder of any type. He had a crop of red hair also, reminding Link of the girl Kiama, and he could only wonder if this might've been her father. But he left her name out of it for now, hoping that she wasn't one of the ones who'd been hurt by his dark half's meddling.

Interrupting his thoughts, another voice came out of the small crowd of people, "Betarro! It was dark when this happened, are you _certain_ this is the same man you saw?"

"Yes, Olnor! The same hat, outfit, everything. But there wasn't anyone else with him," Betarro added, looking over at Zelda. "She could have been waiting outside of town though!"

Link gave the men a look that was half surprised, half indignant, and he shook his head, replying sternly, "She had _nothing_ to do with this!"

"Then you admit it?," Betarro asked in return, riding up a bit closer to Link. "How do we know for sure she wasn't in on your murdering plans?"

What had that dark bastard done, Link wondered in his head for a moment. Murder? Fisting his hands, Link waved one swiftly toward Zelda as if to cut her off completely from the situation, replying, "She's _not_ involved! If you saw me, then it must have been me, right?"

"Link!," Zelda gasped out. She'd certainly come to the same conclusion that Link had, and hearing Link saying those words made her fear he might claim to be guilty just to keep things from getting ugly.

"You little!–," Betarro yelled at the same time that Zelda had gasped his name, over powering her voice.

"Betarro!," Olnor called, riding in front of him before the big man's temper could really get hold of him. "Calm down right now. I'm the town's elder councilman, I'll handle this, you just let me do the talking."

The two shared a look while Link watched, and Betarro calmed down. That's when Olnor turned his face back to Link and regarded him quietly. Like Betarro, Olnor was a bigger guy, just not as burly as his friend, with black hair, greys sprinkled through it, and a beard settled neatly around his chin, giving him a somewhat wiser look. Once he'd looked down at the young man, he began to explain everything to him, taking the innocent until proven guilty stance apparently, which Link was very grateful for.

"Last night, someone came through here and boarded up a house in the middle of the night, then set it aflame. Betarro saw a young man leaving the home, and had to run to get help and water as the flames started to consume the residence, allowing the criminal time to escape. By the time the fires could be put out, the family within were all dead, and another house managed to catch fire as well, though thankfully, that family got out in time with everything going on. Are you admitting to this crime?"

Hearing this, Link's teeth had clenched, his fingers still fisted, and he knew he couldn't say he'd done this, because he was truly innocent, but things were definitely delicate right now, and he had to do something. He was enraged however, at his dark half, ready to find the shadow and literally throttle it. During his thoughts, Olnor's voice rang out again, enunciating his words.

"Are you admitting to this crime!?"

"Enough of this, they won't admit it, just seize them both!"

Betarro's words got Link's attention, and he reached up his hand as if to stop them, shaking his head. "No! Leave her out of this. She wasn't there, and had no idea any of it was taking place."

"We don't know that for sure," Olnor told Link more calmly than Betarro probably would have ever been able to get out. "If we don't–"

"She won't leave the village as long as I'm here," Link interrupted him with a serious voice, "and if you leave her out of this completely, I'll go with you peacefully."

Olnor lifted his head back over the words as if a little surprised, looking over at Zelda, then at the rest of his comrades who'd been listening, and he considered it. Betarro put a hand on the man's shoulder and leaned in, the whispering setting Link to unease, but Olnor replied to him after Betarro finished his whispered words.

"Very well. But on the condition that your lady friend is put on house arrest until we can get to the bottom of this. She'll be bothered by no one, and your horses will go with her."

"Link, don't–"

Zelda had started to tell him not to give in, but he cut her off, replying, "It's a deal," and he looked back at her and shook his head, telling her without words to just go along with it. Nissa watched from the pouch on Zelda's belt while this happened, frowning over the whole scene, wondering what in the world had happened. The men dismounted their horses and two of them grabbed Link's arms, tugging them behind his back in order to shackle them.

As Link was taken into custody, Olnor had dismounted his steed as well, and gone toward Zelda, being fairly well mannered as he stopped near her and said, "If you would come with me please, my lady."

Zelda felt mindless as she nodded her head to him without thinking, but her gaze went from the tall man and to Link, watching as the villagers had shackled his wrists, Betarro gripping his upper arm and pushing him forward so hard that Link fell into the dirt. She gasped when he did, and let go of Frost's reigns in order to go to him, but Olnor grabbed her shoulder. Reaching up to struggle her way away from the man, she only stopped when she heard him calling to the other men.

"Betarro!" Olnor's voice was stern and not to be denied, getting all of their attentions. Once they looked back, he continued on, "That is _not_ necessary. He's going willingly. If you can't control yourself, I'll assign you to house arrest as well and find someone else who can take your place until all of this is over with."

Betarro looked contrite almost immediately, then nodded his head to affirm that he could perform his duties properly. As they started taking Link off to be imprisoned much more humanely this time, Olnor looked at Zelda and told her, "Don't worry too much. Betarro's just angry, it's explosive, but it doesn't last long. Soon," Olnor looked back up and over at the young man she'd called Link before as he was taken off to their towns prison, "he'll come to question this situation as I am."

Hearing those words, Zelda looked up at Olnor's face, her brows narrowed somewhat angrily though also very slightly relieved by hearing those words of hope that maybe he wasn't completely sure all of this made sense, and she replied, "I should hope so, because Link _didn't_ do this. But I know who _did_ do it, someone who's after Link in order to get him trapped so that he could kill him, and when he comes back, you'll have to let Link go, or be the cause of even more bloodshed."

Olnor genuinely listened to Zelda's words, taking them to heart, then he nodded his head silently. From there, he started escorting her along with him to have her put safely into an unoccupied home, replying, "I'll keep my eyes open for anything strange, my lady. I'm not one to want to imprison someone innocent, much less invite more bloodshed where none is needed."

Zelda hoped that Olnor's words proved to be true. She watched the group of men with Link as they walked until she couldn't see them anymore, taking a breath in the hope that Link would be alright as she herself was taken to the home she was meant to stay in situated on the edge of the small town near the trees that bordered it. The inside of the home was a bit dusty from disuse, but it was still a nicely built home, so Zelda tried to count her blessings where she could. As she stepped inside and Olnor shut the door, being alone now, Nissa emerged from Zelda's pouch.

"That was really scarey," the little fairy told her as she lifted up before Zelda's face evenly in the air.

"Yes," Zelda replied, taking a hand to rub her eyes in thought. "We can't just sit here and wait for that shadow to return and kill Link though. We have to do something to convince the people to set him free before he returns and causes even more problems."

Nissa pursed her lips in thought, her brows narrowed, asking Zelda, "I agree, but what!? Fairies aren't known for lying, so I could tell them he was in my sights all evening. They'll at least take it into consideration don't you think?"

"That's true," Zelda responded, "but I'd rather keep you a secret, just for now. At least then, if something dire happens, you can go find someone to help us."

"Okay, but if it comes down to it, I'm going to tell them what I know. In fact, would you like me to sneak and go check on Link?"

The idea had it's merit, and Zelda nodded her head, smiling, "Yes. Go do that, would you? I'd feel much better if I knew how he was, and I'm sure he'd be better off if he knew the same of me."

"Okay!," Nissa drew out happily, then she started checking the windows for cracks she could slip through since someone could be watching, and if they saw the door opening, it could get Zelda into trouble. Finally finding one, a panel of glass missing from a room in the back of the home, Nissa took off carefully to make sure no one saw her.

Once completely alone, Zelda turned to the front window of the house, looking outside. She saw the ball of light that was Nissa flying swiftly away into town without being spotted, and then glanced down. Dark Link, she thought in her mind with a grumble, was going to continue setting these traps until he was taken care of completely. Somehow, they had to get a step ahead of him so they could do so.

Unlike Link, his dark half had a tendency to run away from things, call it cowardice or irresponsibility, either way, he wouldn't just stick around in order to be brought down. There had to be some lure to bring him out of the darkness he hid in and keep him in one place long enough to be destroyed.

As well as some way to get everyone to believe Link was innocent. Nissa would be a good witness to Link's whereabouts, but somehow Zelda got the feeling it would still be their word against Betarro's, and Zelda put herself in Betarro's shoes for a moment, understanding that if she'd seen something like what he had, and it had been dark, she would also blame Link for the crimes. Then she remembered something.

Kiama was from this village, and she also remembered thinking that Betarro had the same color hair as she had. Olnor said he was the elder councilman, and if he was Betarro's friend, it stood to reason that Betarro was Kiama's father for certain since the fifteen year old girl had said that her father was on Engleton's town council. So Kiama could definitely serve as a character witness. Unfortunately, Zelda hadn't seen the wagon when they'd come into the village, though honestly the thing could have been destroyed. Still, Olnor or someone else would come back to check on her later, and when he did, she could ask him about the girl.

Hopefully, that would give the villagers much more incentive to let Link go.


	26. Mimicry

_Chapter 25 - Mimicry_

Link was made to put his sword, shield, bow, and arrows on a table outside of the cell he was going to be forced into, and once he'd done so, and was pushed inside of the bars, the doors shutting behind him with a slam of metal that signaled his loss of freedom. Standing there in thought, he glanced back when he heard rummaging to see Betarro inspecting his sword.

"That's a nice blade, kid," Betarro told him, reaching to try to grab and lift it up. Link watched him struggling though, the same way Zelda had the night before, and he failed in being able to pull it up completely. With a grunt as the sword slipped from his hands and fell back onto the table with a clunk of metal, several people in the cells started laughing and Betarro turned a fierce glare at all of them. They immediately became silent in the face of the harsh look and some cleared their throats.

With that same look directed at the other inmates in opposing cells from Link's, he went over to Link was before looking down at him, asking, "So, why did you come back here after what you'd done anyway?"

Link, who still had his back facing the door, turned his head slightly, able to see Betarro from the corner of his eye, and he just shook his head as he walked further into the prison, simply saying, "Because I was passing through."

Betarro raised a brow. "Passing through? Why would you pass through a place that you'd just committed a crime in?"

Link didn't respond at first, just turned to sit down against the wall in the back of his cell, leaning against it with one leg drawn up, an arm draped over that leg, and he pulled his hat forward a bit to cover his eyes as if he were going to get some rest, finally saying, "You tell me."

Because he didn't do it, or at least, that was what Link was trying to tell the man in so many words, if not just that it didn't make any sense. Betarro watched him after he'd said that, his face turning to one of distrust and disdain, and he waved a dismissive hand with a scoff of breath in Link's direction before he turned and walked away from the jail cell as if he couldn't accept that, or wasn't ready to yet.

Link just sat there quietly while he left, hearing the slight chatter and shuffling of inmates in prison cells next to him, bars on his right and left leaving about three feet between himself and the metal rods on each side, and he heard someone from his left speaking to him.

"Well, well, if it isn't Mr. Goody-Goody." Chuckling followed the slightly familiar voice, and lifting the side of his hat, Link saw one of the men he'd ran into over a day ago with the girl Kiama, the driver of the wagon that he'd helped to have turned in. Link definitely hadn't forgotten that fact, and while he was under the assumption that Betarro was probably Kiama's father, considering the man's attitude currently, he'd decided against asking if that were the case. Considering, if Betarro was indeed Kiama's father, that he'd just gotten her back after a more than likely fretful search for her, to hear an inmate asking about her would probably only get Link pulled out of prison and beheaded immediately. So he hadn't said a word about it for now.

He wondered for a moment how she was doing though along with the rest of those girls, but the inmate's voice caught his attention again.

"So, Mr. Goody-Goody, what are ya in for?"

Lifting a brow, without looking in their directions, his hat still low down on his head, Link just replied, "A few counts of murder and arson. But I turned myself in, which is more than I can say for you."

Apparently, the man didn't like that, and he tried to reach out to grab Link, but Link was just out of his reach. "If you get closer, I'm going to beat you bloody!"

"Guess I better not get closer then," Link muttered out, just making the guy even more angry, when a fairy appeared on the sill of Link's barred window and looked into the prison quietly without either inmate's notice.

Nissa didn't see Link anywhere, and she frowned a bit, asking his name, "Link?"

Hearing Nissa's voice, Link looked up, lifting his hat back again, and he asked her name in return. "Nissa? What are you doing here?"

Hearing his voice from below her, she looked down and saw him staring up at the window above his head. "Oh! I found the right one on the first try!"

Nissa flew into the room and down to Link's upraised knee, standing on it. Hearing she'd been looking for him and found him on the first try made him smirk and tell her, "That's a fairy's luck for you I've heard."

"I'll say," Nissa responded, then heard something from the cell bars next to them both.

"Aww, look fella's, he's got a little fairy friend."

Nissa got angry while the men chuckled at her and Link, and she folded her arms over her chest, her brows narrowed, yelling, "You'd better show some respect. Just because I'm tiny doesn't mean you can push me around!"

"Just ignore them, Nissa," Link told her as they just started snickering over the fairy's threats, mocking her in the process. Nissa, tired of it, flew toward one of their hands swiftly, and caused a shock of magical power to snap into their fingers like static electricity might do, making the man yelp as she went back toward Link again quickly and then stuck her tongue out at them.

Link couldn't help his amusement, leaning back against the wall again as he asked, "Is Zelda okay?"

"Zelda? Oh!," Nissa started giggling, "I'm still used to Mira. But it's good to know she's using her real name now. Yes, she's fine. They have her in an abandoned home on house arrest, being watched by the guards. And," Nissa added as if remembering somewhat excitedly that she had good news, "the man who took her away said he'd keep his eyes open for your dark half. I think he suspects your innocence."

"Well, at least someone does," Link replied, "but it's good to hear. If my shadow comes back, there's no telling what he might do."

Link and Zelda had already relayed most of the story to Nissa about Link's evil half roaming the lands on the way to Engleton, and so Nissa knew all about it already. "Well, we'll just have to be ready for him, won't we?"

"What are you talking about?," one of Link's so-called neighbors asked.

Glaring over at them, Nissa was about to yell that it was none of their business, but Link interrupted her before she could start speaking. "Well, there's a guy out there who's been trying to kill me, which I guess isn't surprising to you, but there's a good chance he might try to set this prison on fire with us locked in it if he finds out I'm here."

Quietly, the men stared at him wide eyed, and simultaneously, the three of them went to the doors of their cells and started grabbing the bars, banging them against the frames to be let out, yelling for the guards to come over. Nissa started snickering quietly, going to sit on Link's shoulder, telling him, "Well, that should shut them up for a while."

"Or at least get them to leave me be. Nissa," he started, turning his head to look at her, "Go stay with Zelda. I don't want her to be alone out there with all of this going on."

"Are you sure? I think I should stay here for just a bit longer and make sure those inmates don't try to kill you before anything else can happen."

"I'm fine, Nissa, they can't even reach me. I'd feel a lot better if you kept her company too. I can take care of myself, and she can too, but she's more important than I am."

Nissa sighed, shaking her head. "Alright, but I don't agree with you about that importance thing. Anyway, I'll go let her know you're fine. She was worried anyway, and sent me here to see. If anything happens though, I'll fly back here to let you know."

Link nodded, letting the fairy lift through the air and head out of the window. Once she was gone, he tugged his hat back down and got comfortable again, just waiting for some type of absolution, just hoping that it didn't take too long in getting there. He'd thrown himself into prison in order to protect her after all, and now he just hoped nothing else happened while he wasn't able to be with her.

Though, he thought, remembering his silver gauntlets, he knew that nothing in this jail cell could really hold him back saying he had an inkling of a suspicion that foul play was being attempted. If he heard the slightest yells about sighting someone funny from any of the guards outside, the wall he was currently sitting against would come down.

---

Night had started drawing down upon the town of Engleton, wolves crying in the distance at the full moon that had risen, the town still silent from everything that had happened the night before. Zelda sat in the home she'd been assigned to quietly, her eyes closed, Nissa on her shoulder. It wasn't too long after nightfall, about an hour and a half since they'd arrived in the village, and Zelda waited patiently for something to happen, knowing that she didn't have many other choices until someone arrived at the home for her to speak to.

Leaving, she'd realized, to find someone, would break the rules, and breaking the rules would only make her look suspicious, completely going against what Link had tried to attain for her from the beginning, which was both her good name and her freedom.

She considered all of this quietly, especially when it came to Link. He constantly sacrificed things for her, to make sure she was safe and cared for, his physical well being when he fought, his safety, and now his very freedom itself. She couldn't ignore that, and she wouldn't presume to. She would have to find some way to express her gratitude to him later, when this was all over, and she knew that somehow, she'd find a way, it was too important to her not to. With these notions as well, Zelda understood completely why she'd developed such a deep seated infatuation with the man. After all, how could she not with as well as he kept her?

As she had these thoughts, it was then when Zelda heard horses passing the home she was in. It had been the first sound of life from outside of the home all evening long since she'd arrived there.

Sitting against the wall, the front window behind her head, she turned and looked outside, pushing herself up to her knees while Nissa took to the air, trying to see through the darkness. She'd already considered, with the way the lights in the room had dimmed, that she should have brought her lantern in from Frost's saddle, but knew that she could definitely allow time for Olnor or another to come and visit her, ask them for it, considering the darkness had helped her to think more clearly anyway without being distracted by looking about.

As she watched the scene outside the front window, she heard someone saying they'd spotted movement heading west, and another person telling the rest to come on. Once they'd spoken the words, Nissa asked her, "Should I go find out what has them all stirred up?"

"Yes," Zelda nodded, "it might be Dark Link, and if it is, you should go tell Link immediately."

"You got it," Nissa told Zelda, taking off swiftly through the dark room to exit through the same missing window panel as she had before, and Zelda watched the glowing orb disappear, leaving her now in almost complete darkness. With a soft sigh of breath, she turned and sat back against the wall again, her eyes having adjusted, but it was still hard to see. Somehow though, Zelda got the feeling that Olnor would be coming back soon now with the men currently moving about in order to check on her, once they'd finished searching for whatever it was they'd seen that was.

As she considered this, she thought about Link again, hoping all of this mess could be cleared up soon, otherwise they might be forced into escaping. That damnable shadow and his malicious trickery. He'd killed an entire family just to get Link caught so that he would be an easy target. It made her want to head outside herself despite the trouble it would cause, so she could do something, _anything_ to help instead of just sitting and waiting, trying to earn a proper reputation amongst the people of the town so that maybe they would be set free.

Before she could consider anymore however, in the darkness, she felt a hand clamping down over her mouth gently, causing her to gasp, until she heard a, "Shush, they're looking for me."

The hand moved away from her mouth, and Zelda turned slightly, her brows narrowing as she asked, "Link? What are you doing here?"

He shook his head, a slight waver she could see in the darkness, and told her, "I heard them getting riled up, and I couldn't sit still anymore. I knew, if you were alone, you could get hurt easier. So I broke out for just a few minutes in order to come and see you."

"How...," she started, "did you get out?"

She felt him taking her hand, placing it on the back of one of his silver gauntlets. "Bent the bars," he replied, "tried not to attract too much attention."

"Link, you really shouldn't have come out here. It'll only cause more–"

She was cut off when a hand touched her cheek in the darkness, his fingers brushing down, slowly along her jaw and beneath it, to her chin, lifting her face up. His lips were right against hers, and she couldn't help her heart's position in the back of her throat, her words getting stuck, lifting her fingers slowly to his arm. He was still, hesitant, and he took in a breath, whispering the word, "Flowers."

"Flowers?" She replied softly.

"You always smell like flowers. You always look so soft and," he paused as if to think for the words, "helpless even. But still strong too. I can't figure it out."

His softly, though hotly spoken words against her lips were making her dizzy, and she couldn't stop her eyes from closing. Her heart was thudding hard over his closeness and the way he was talking, the darkness helping to blot out the rest of the world until there was nothing but his closeness in it. Quietly, he finally added, "If I get in trouble just for coming to check on you, then it's worth it to me."

Her mind became completely mottled, and she could barely remember to breath. "Link," she whispered back, "you're...really embarrassing me."

"Because of how we both feel?"

"Because of," she paused, opening her eyes slowly to peer up into his, too close for her to see anything of his face clearly, finally finishing, "everything."

"Everything?" He asked as he leaned over her, brushing his lips across hers in the faintest of kisses, adding, "Or is it really nothing at all?"

Was this really happening? Zelda couldn't help questioning it, the feelings eating at her that she'd been trying to suppress working their way to her surface as she put her arms around his sides and tentatively let her fingers rest against his back. But she was still uncertain over it. She wanted to hear him saying it, though, she knew she didn't have to hear it at all, still feeling she owed him thanks for all he'd done as she'd been considering for a while that evening.

Quietly though, she did ask him, "Tell me how you feel," on a whispered voice, wanting to know finally just so she could have the information.

He was quiet for a moment, their closeness drawing out, making her skin tingle in a way in never had before, delightful and at the same time maddening. Just when she thought she couldn't stand it anymore regardless of what he might whisper to her in the dark, he leaned down, finally covering her mouth completely, kissing her the way he'd been wanting to all along, and tightening his arms around her back to pull her against himself fully.

He caught her surprised gasp in his mouth, driving his tongue slowly along her lips, his fingers into her hair, combing the tresses just as slowly as he kissed her. The kiss was laced with nothing but desire and want, almost carnally so, and Zelda was rendered completely dumbfounded by it, completely unequipped to have either handled or stopped it even if she'd wanted to.

How had he learned to kiss so well?

Slowly, his lips broke from hers after a long yet still brief moment, but only to travel to her cheek, against it and down along her neck, making her own arms tighten around him in return, her fingers clutching into the back of his shirt. Slowly, his warm mouth traveled up to her ear, his breath against it, speaking, "This is how I feel, Zelda. You too, I think."

She panted softly, her eyes opening when she felt his hand moving from her side and up to her breast, making her jerk when he cupped it, and though her body reacted positively, her mind yelled at her that it was way too soon for such intimacies to be taken. Because she trusted him so much though, she didn't push his hand away immediately, knowing he'd stop if she asked him to. Just as she was going to though, his thumb traced the outline of her nipple, making her gasp loudly and clutch at him more tightly.

"Link, stop it," she finally got out, her voice breathless as she found his wrist and gripped it to push it away, wondering why the room wasn't lit with the fire that was in her cheeks alone, "we shouldn't do something like this."

She felt him lifting back a bit in response. His next move was slightly quickly, but still gently and fluid, turning and taking her with him so that she was on the floor beneath him. Her face was still on fire, he'd be able to tell, she thought, as he touched her cheek again, and she grabbed his hand, holding it in place there, listening as he spoke.

"Why not? We might not get another chance to. You were all I could think about in that cell, worrying about losing you, about you getting hurt, all because I was trying to be agreeable with the guards, and it even scared me a little. I don't want to ever lose you, Zelda, to the throne, or to anything else."

His words rendered her breathless again, her eyes closing as she thought about it. He was right, she knew that much, there was always the possibility that they might never get to explore this side of their emotions, and the simple thought of it made her almost want to weep with sadness. Did she really care for him that deeply? To the point of loving him? Taking in a shaky breath, she shook her head, saying, "You told me we'd always be friends no matter what."

"Just friends," he replied, "but it's hard when I want something else so badly."

She knew how Link felt, nodding her head slowly in agreement. It would be very hard to live that kind of life only being friends when they knew how they both truly felt about one another. He hadn't said he loved her yet, but he definitely seemed to want to try, wanted to be with her somehow or another, and she took in a deep breath to try to get a hold on her own feelings.

"I know," she whispered, "but we don't..."

She'd gotten quiet when he'd leaned back in, slowly kissing her throat, her pulse rising again, her head nearly swimming. Why did it have to feel so good to be so close to him? She didn't want that feeling to stop, and likewise, didn't want to interrupt it with words. The brushes of his skin against hers was awakening her body in a way she'd never experienced before, and she found her hands clutching against the fabric covering his back, heard an unwitting whimper sounding from her throat to him.

He began to move down, toward her chest, and she felt the buttons of her bodice coming undone. When this happened, she reached up to grab his wrists hesitantly, shaking her head. She wanted to be with him, hadn't even realized how much so until that moment, but she didn't want to cross the line, not when she wasn't sure of everything.

He'd gotten the top two buttons undone, revealing the amulet she always worn since he'd come back and given it to her once again, though it was too dark to see it, and she heard him asking, "What's this?"

"Hmm?" She glanced down, and in the silhouetted darkness, she could see her amulet, asking, "My necklace? What about it?"

She wasn't sure if that was what he had meant or not, but before he could make a response, a knock came to the door. Both of them looked over to hear Olnor's voice speaking, "My lady. I've brought you a lantern from your horse's saddle."

"Let me go get that," Zelda spoke softly, sitting up as Link backed off of her. "He might think you came here to hide, we have to tell him the truth."

"No," he shook his head, "I'll slip back into my cell later. Just go before he comes in himself."

With a sigh, staring at him in the lightless room, she heard another knock and decided to simply listen to him, standing to answer it, calling, "I'm coming, sir."

Link watched her while slipping back so that he wouldn't be spotted, waiting quietly for the interruption to leave.

As he did, his eyes began to glow red in the darkness while Zelda turned the knob.

"Thank you," she told Olnor as he handed the lit lantern to her.

"You're welcome, I'm sorry I couldn't deliver it sooner. We've had a slight problem though."

"Oh?," Zelda asked, thinking to herself of the man hiding in the room behind her, "What is that? I'd heard horses earlier."

"It's nothing," Olnor shook his head, "but if it becomes dire, I'll come directly here to warn you. I can't stay though, I have to go help search."

Nodding at the peculiar lines, Zelda watched him turn to go, shutting the door quietly. Perhaps he didn't want her to worry with the news that Link had escaped. No, that would be impossible. She would be the first person he'd come to question as she'd suggested to Link before she'd answered the door. With that realization, her eyes widened, and she spun around, but suddenly found herself pressed against the door with a hand on her throat, the lantern falling to the floor and spinning away from their feet.

The face above her own was the same as Link's, but the hair color and eye color were different, and staring into those red orbs, she heard him laughing softly as he cut off her air supply with one hand, the other pinning her wrist against the door. Though she was pushing with her free hand against his opposite arm, he just wouldn't budge, too strong for her to get away from in that instance.

"You know, for someone who holds the Triforce of Wisdom, you're awfully easy to fool."

Zelda clenched her teeth together, still pushing at him, strangling out the words, "Get...off of me!," while she did so.

"Aw, what's wrong, don't you like me anymore?" He asked before snickering almost immaturely. As he did so, he could feel an intense heat against his arm as Zelda's fingertips suddenly flared up hotly, causing him to jerk and lose his grip. When he did, she shoved him backwards and away from herself with all of her might, then turned to grab the door in order to open it.

The slight pain didn't allow her enough time to get the door open however. Dark Link grabbed her angrily and spun her about, followed by backhanding her hard enough to send her falling to the floor on her side. The hard hit against her cheek had dazed her, and she could hear a soft snicker along with footfalls as the shadow moved toward her. Leaning down, Dark Link let his fingers trailing through her hair before he gripped it. Cringing, she lifted her head back with his hand as he pulled, able to taste the blood he'd drawn in her mouth, glancing back while he tilted his head at her.

"Don't make me resort to hurting you again," he said in command, kneeling down on the floor next to her, jerking her back by her hair so that she was sitting against the wall with him right in front of her. Her eyes watched him warily as he knelt there, reaching up to wipe the blood from the corner of her lips that he'd drawn a moment beforehand.

"Where's Link!?" She demanded, a glare in her eyes.

Dark Link scoffed, a little smirk on his face, "Well, I haven't killed him, or hurt him, if that's what you're thinking. No, I didn't want to do that prematurely and have you running off to try and rescue him or something similar. He's still rotting in jail." His last line seemed to amuse him, snickering over it a slight bit.

His words confused her, "What are you talking about!? Why didn't you go after him? That _is_ the reason you did all of this, isn't it? In order to trap him?"

She watched as Dark Link tilted his head downward over her questions, and he started laughing softly. That laughter grew louder though until he was shaking with the mirth he felt, finally sobering up slightly before he asked in return, "Who said I did this to get to him? No," he shook his head, looking at her pointedly. "I did this to get to you, all alone to myself."

Zelda stared at the dark mimicry in complete disbelief, unable to grasp what he was saying for a slight moment before it hit her like a ton of bricks, and she shook her head. "Me!?"

"Don't get all arrogant now," he told her, still smirking, "but believe it or not, Zelda," he drew out, leaning in closer, and she turned her head away from him, putting her ear at his mouth with her refusal to let him ever kiss her while she was aware of who he truly was. The turn made him smirk, so he just finished against the sensitive shell of her pointed ear, "I feel everything he feels, and he's grown quite fond of you. Guess you could say I got pretty curious when I saw you for the first time, wanted to know why it was I was feeling this way toward you."

"You're disgusting!," Zelda yelled, shoving her hands into his shoulders to push him away from her, on the verge of tears because she'd so completely believed he'd been Link earlier and she hadn't been able to see through his nearly flawless performance. "Get away from me!"

Letting her push him back, though there was a grin on his face she would have loved to smack right off of it, he chuckled out, "Feisty. No wonder he likes you so much. Maybe even loves you, not really sure, but I thought to see for myself, and now that I have, I think I'm starting to understand it more and more. Heh, I did number though, didn't I?" He started mocking the very words he'd spoken to her earlier, "I don't ever want to lose you to the throne," and he began to laugh as if he thought the line might've been the corniest thing in the world.

"I hate you so much," Zelda ground out between clenched teeth, gritting them with both the embarrassment and the violation she felt. He'd touched her in ways no one ever had and that he shouldn't have, had pulled off Link's tone of voice to a tee, expressed the things Link might have as if he actually were Link, just proving that he'd been telling the truth when he'd said he felt the things Link felt.

But still, she'd welcomed his touch, and was fooled by it all, though it was hard not to have been with the performance he'd given. Still, somehow she blamed herself. She should have known. She just should have. Link was her childhood friend. Was she so completely blinded by how she'd began to feel about him and did she desire for him to actually return those feelings to her so much that she couldn't see through an evil mock up?

Pushing herself back up from stumbling a little after she'd pushed him away, refusing to cry in front of the abomination before her now, or show that she'd been affected by his words and actions at all, she turned the coldest violet blue glare up at him that she could muster, and then breathed in her breath so she could speak to him.

"Now what are you going to do then? Hold me here until he comes to get me so you can fight him?"

"Maybe I will. Then again, maybe I'll just take you with me where he'll never find you, keep you there until you warm up to me."

The thought sent a shiver through her, one of disgust as well as some fear which she tried desperately to rid herself of so she could stand up to this evil mimicry of her lifelong friend. Zelda watched him quietly, looking so very confident over his little plans and his ability to hurt her with words, fool her. Somehow she had to redeem herself for that slip up. So she quickly began to try to think of something as fast as possible.

Shaking her head at him, she started, "You'd have a good advantage too, wouldn't you? Knowing how he feels about me, driving him crazy with the want to find me again, causing him to make mistakes, right?"

"Now that you mention it," the shadow smirked thoughtfully, "you're right."

Zelda tilted her head to the side curiously, asking, "And you said you feel the same way about me that he does?"

"Do you doubt it? How many other men would act like a complete fool like I just did to please a woman?" He scoffed insultingly over the notion.

Zelda fought back to hide her anger at him, continuing to act mildly curious, "You surely do have a funny way of showing it," she told him, sitting forward slowly.

One of his brows lifted at her while she sat forward, seeing the curiosity in her eyes, the sudden interest in him. He almost couldn't help it, wondering if maybe some part of her actually was wanting to know more of him as he knew a part of him wanted her to so badly for reasons he couldn't quite explain. But the opportunity to further her interest in him was too good not to jump at, and he shrugged his shoulders, his red eyes peering down into hers as he leaned in a bit closer himself.

"Maybe I just approach it differently than he does."

She seemed to consider it quietly, finally replying, "Maybe you're right. But you know, you _did_ do something wrong."

Zelda leaned up slowly, and though she had to force herself, she did it anyway. She had to. It was the only way to keep him where she wanted him for that moment, by pretending to actually be curious over him in some slight way, to act as if she might have felt this would've been her only chance to see more into his persona even though she really didn't care to. Because she realized that, if he felt the same way Link did, then like Link, it would be one of his desires to see her showing some interest in him. So she now used those emotions against him in order to get the upper hand.

As she leaned forward, Dark Link asked her, his voice a little soft considering their growing close proximity, "What's that?"

"You hit me," she informed him. "Now you have to kiss it and make it better."

"Is that so?" He asked, grinning down at her. "But I thought you said I was disgusting?"

"I thought you said _I_ was feisty," she retorted in order to explain her sudden, though feigned, change of heart, leaning in suddenly and pressing her lips to his despite the pain in her cheek it had caused her. He was right, she did think he was disgusting, and even now, she fought to keep kissing him, waiting until she felt him relax just a bit while her fingers tightened around the handle of the dagger Link had given her for protection, and once Dark Link moved in closer to kiss her more thoroughly, she acted.

He felt the sharp, stabbing pain of the blade in his gut not a moment later, and he grunted in response, ripping his mouth away from her.

"Two can play at this game," she told him with a sneer as he pulled back.

She held the dagger to him tightly, and when he tried to move, she ripped the blade back out, making him tense again with another wave of pain. It was in that moment that he saw her reaching for the lantern, and he went to grab her, but as he did, her form became transparent, disappearing in a greenish blue blur of light when she'd grabbed the object to help herself see outside, teleporting out of the room completely with it.

With a growl of anger, Dark Link fell onto his side, one hand on his abdomen, and he clenched his fist, then pulled it back and slammed it into the floor with a yell of rage.

Breathing somewhat heavily in the silence ensuing his outburst as he reopened his now steadily glowing red eyes, he worked his way up to his feet, pulling his hand away from his stomach to see the black blood he was bleeding now, and he scoffed over the paltry wound. It wouldn't stop him, only delay the inevitable. Still, he had to consider, that _was_ a bright move on her part.

"Maybe she really _does_ have the Triforce of Wisdom," he muttered out somewhat mockingly, then snickered softly.


	27. Redemption

_Chapter 26 - Redemption_

Link had grown fairly anxious over a short period of time sitting in prison. Night had began to draw down over the town and he was tired of just sitting around waiting. He knew something was going to happen, could just feel it inside himself, and finally pushing himself up to stand, heading toward the door of his cell, he reached for the bars and looked as best he could down the hallway and at the door, then across the room toward the table his things were sitting on. With a soft sigh, he tried to keep himself in check, tried to be patient, and closed his eyes in order to do so. The inmates were trying to tell him to sit down, that he wasn't getting out of there, but he just ignored their ignorant comments as he stood there.

No sooner than his lids had shut however did he hear the door opening. His blue eyes peered down the hallway as soon as he'd heard the sound in order to try to see who was coming in, but the voices gave everything away to him before he could spot anyone. It was Kiama, and he'd been right about who her father was since Betarro was following her into the prison.

"This is no place for you!," he kept trying to tell her.

Kiama was having none of it. When she'd heard Link's name being mentioned, she'd come right over, replying, "I don't care, father, I have to see him! I'll leave as soon as I do, I promise!"

Wearing a much prettier blue dress than the rags Link had seen her in before, the young lady rounded the corner, her hair tied back into a bun at the nape of her neck, and she stopped when she saw him, seeming happy to meet him again, but at the same time, sad due to the circumstances.

"Link!"

"Hello again Kiama," Link replied, still standing at the door to his cell. "I'm glad to see you girls got here safely."

Kiama returned his genuine smile, then looked back at her father as Betarro watched, seemingly unable to believe what he was hearing. She pointed at Link and shook her head, "He's not a criminal, father. He's the one whom imprisoned the men that kidnaped us, and that old windbag who tried to buy me."

The three men in the other cells were quiet over the matter. Betarro had already brought his wrath down upon them for what they'd done to his daughter, a wrath Olnor had to stop from becoming a crime of murder in itself, though Olnor hadn't stopped him too soon, also disgusted over what the men had tried to do to the young ladies who'd returned to Engleton. So they weren't going to cause mischief to try to get Link to have to remain in prison, otherwise they knew they'd probably be taken straight to a hanging.

"How," Betarro started, shaking his head, brows narrowed. Finally he stepped toward Link's cell, and then he looked back at Kiama. "He's the one?"

"Yes, please, let him go free, father," Kiama asked him, "If you don't trust me, then put him on house arrest with Zelda for a while, but don't keep him in prison. He at least deserves a chance to explain everything."

Betarro sighed out his breath, pushing his fingers through his red hair in consideration. Finally he glanced back over at Link before he asked the young man, "Last night, when I saw the homes getting set ablaze, I saw a young man just like you, the same hat, outfit, everything. Tell me how I could see that if you could be so benevolent as to save my daughter along with a group of girls you don't even know."

Link listened as Betarro asked him the question that he knew would be the most difficult to answer. He took a breath in order to try however, knowing there was no other way to get through this. Considering his words and the most simple way to put them, Link began, "That person you saw isn't actually a person. It's a dark mimicry of myself, someone who mirrors me in looks, but is completely opposite in demeanor. This is the fourth time he's caused me problems, I was almost set up in Roshala to look as if I'd bombed a tavern for no reason because of him."

Betarro and Kiama both listened to him, Kiama shaking her head in what looked to be sadness before she asked, "How did something like that happen? Where did he come from?"

"It was some kind of a curse set up on the Temple of Time," Link explained, "because I drew the Master Sword from it's resting spot."

The Master Sword? Betarro looked over at Link's things, spying the sword, then back at him, remembering trying to lift it earlier but having been unable to do so completely. Link was telling the truth. Betarro wasn't sure what to say, his face seeming to convey some type of guilt, as if maybe he knew more than others about the stories behind the Master Sword and such things, and Betarro considered what his old friend Lyonel who he hadn't seen in a very long time now had told him.

The memory drew Betarro to one final conclusion, and he could no longer blame Link for what had happened in Engleton the night before.

"You're free to go," Betarro spoke up, "though," he added as he took the keys from the wall, walking toward Link's cell with them, "I'm not Olnor, and I don't officially have that power."

"Father," Kiama told him, "Olnor would do the same thing, you know that."

"I know, Kiama," he replied as he turned the key to Link's cell. "But it's better to admit your crimes whenever you perform them, so that you can stay true to yourself at least. Even if I've been Olnor's friend for a long time, and I know that Link is telling the truth, as Olnor would, I still need to follow the rules set up instead of breaking them as I am now."

Link considered the words as Betarro opened his cell door, glad to see that the man wasn't all rage as he'd first appeared to be. Once his cell door was open, he looked up at the man, and told him, "Thank you, Betarro."

"Don't thank me yet," the man snorted, waving a hand toward Link's things in order to tell Link to take them without words. "I just know that you're telling the truth because I have a very good friend in the world who's been privileged gain great knowledge himself. He's Hylian like you are too, maybe you've heard of him. Lyonel. Though, to be quite honest, I'm not even sure if he's still alive or not."

Link had walked over to his things, putting them back into place where they usually rested on his back while Betarro and Kiama watched, and hearing the name Lyonel, Link looked up at Betarro in surprise. He gave a swift nod of his head, "I have met him. He's a good man, and the one who helped me escape the fate of being framed for bombing the tavern in Roshala."

That made Betarro smile. Before either of them could mention more however, as Link had buckled his harnesses around his chest again, they were interrupted by a tiny voice yelling Link's name.

"Link! Link!," Nissa exclaimed as if in dire straights, flying in through the window of his prison cell looking for him. Zipping back and forth, she then spotted him on the other side of the room. "Link!" She was ready to fly toward him quickly when, in her searching, she hadn't realized how close to the opposite cells she'd come, and a hand in the cell next to her suddenly snatched her.

"Nissa!," Link yelled, moving toward the cell while the man who'd been trying to torment Link earlier held her hostage, the driver of the wagon that had kidnaped Kiama.

Betarro growled as he walked toward the cell, hearing the driver demand, "Let me out of here, or your little fairy friend–AHH!"

A snap had sounded as Nissa shocked the man's hand again like before, and as his fingers released her because of the quick stabbing pain, she flew away swiftly, calling back to him, "That's why you don't just grab a fairy, meanie! You smell like fertilizer, ew!"

As Nissa left the cell and the would be hostage situation that was apparently the shortest in history, yelling the insult back at the man, Link was trying not to snicker over it, shaking his head with a smirk. Betarro was grinning himself, and Kiama, standing against her father's side, had smiled.

Ignoring the man's muttering inside of his cell, Link looked at Nissa and asked, "What's going on?"

"You! Your shadow! I saw him near the home they put Zelda under arrest in! You have to go there! Come on!"

Link stared for only a moment, and needed no urging, taking off toward the door swiftly behind the purple orb of light leading him to where Zelda was now. As he did, Kiama had been about to follow him, but Betarro stopped her. "No, Kiama, you're going home, I need to get Olnor."

Frowning, the girl nodded contritely, walking with him quickly in order to get going. Once outside of the prison though, she stopped him and said, "Wait, you go on, I'll run home."

They were both still worried about possible kidnaping, and Betarro fisted his hand, unsure he wanted to let his daughter do that. Finally he shook his head, taking her hand to mount the horse tethered to a pole outside of the prison waiting on him, and told her, "No, I can't allow you to take chances when I only just got you back, not with what could be close right now."

Kiama understood his need, and she was actually glad in a way, though she hoped, looking into the distance where Link had undoubtedly run off to, that the time it took to get her home before Betarro could offer his assistance wouldn't cause anything bad to happen.

---

Zelda had appeared outside of the house she'd been on arrest inside of after she'd escaped Dark Link's clutches, looking back to regain her bearings. Spotting the house behind her, their horses tethered nearby, she ran to them swiftly. She didn't know how much time she had before Dark Link recovered and might have decided to come after her again, but she didn't want to waste any at all. Reaching Epona's side first, she went to untie the horse, having not cared which one she took to get away, after all, she only needed to get to the prison as quickly as possible, when a hand landed on her shoulder from behind.

"Zelda!?"

She couldn't help her yelp of surprise as she jumped and spun around, dagger still clutched in her hand, the voice which had spoken her name the same as the dark shadow she'd just stabbed, the proof in the black blood on the blade. But the Link she saw was the Link she knew, and he could tell from the look in her wide violet blue eyes that whatever she'd been through had definitely rattled her.

"What happened?" He asked, not turning her away as she dropped the dagger and grabbed him to hug him tightly. "Zelda, what happened?" He repeated more softly, though his voice was still urgent.

Zelda was trying to get a hold on her feelings, her eyes having watered up, and fighting it back for the moment, she told him, "He's in the house. I stabbed him and teleported out here to go find you."

She felt his grip tighten, and heard him saying, "Take the horses, and go find Betarro. Kiama told him the whole story about what happened and he let me go."

Zelda nodded slowly, knowing that no matter how much she just wanted to stay right where she was, it wasn't safe, and no sooner than she had the thought did a loud boom sound from behind her. The wall on the side of the house loudly burst open as they turned to look up at it. The debris crumbled away and left Dark Link standing there, using the same types of gauntlets that Link himself wore, procured from the Temple of Fire, in order to break the wall down, turning his head slowly until he spotted them standing there, suddenly grinning maliciously.

Link let go of Zelda so that he could stand before her, drawing his sword without question. Dark Link, whom was still bleeding, smirked as he hopped down from the side of the house and onto the ground, apparently still able to function even though he'd been stabbed, though he did seem to favor his uninjured side a bit more than the other. As he stood up straight though, he spoke, "Well, well. Looks like you were acquitted."

"And it looks like you were stabbed."

Dark Link smirked, and while he did, they both heard the sound of horses riding in the distance, heading toward the home. Glancing back as it drew their attention, Dark Link added, "Well, I guess it's time for one of us to go."

"It won't be me," Link told him, rushing toward him with his sword drawn ready, swiping it down quickly at his shadows side. Dark Link side stepped, narrowly avoiding being cut, and drew out his own blade. Hitting it down against the Light Link's sword, Zelda watched their frenzied movements as they fought, the same stances, the same methods of fighting and movement, everything was the same, except of course their colors, but not discluding their speed.

She was amazed at how fast their swords managed to swipe at one another's, watching the fight carefully, not so exhausted from her magic performances earlier that she couldn't do certain things, but too exhausted to cast any shields up for Link at that point in time, hoping he remembered that he could do it himself now.

In the meantime, Betarro and Olnor had come riding in, and they also saw the intense sword fight. As their horses drew to a stop, Olnor went wide eyed, pointing at them. "Two of them!?"

"Yes, that's what Link said before I released him." Reaching up, he pulled his bow out and notched an arrow, Olnor doing the same. "Aim for the one in black," Betarro told him, holding his arrow sure and steady for the chance at a clean shot.

The metal clashing was loud, Link barely avoiding a slice to his side as his counterpart moved around at an arc. Before that arc could be completed, Link held up his ow blade and their blades hit once more. With his sword flying back, Dark Link had to flip backwards when Link turned his sword, the tip almost hitting his shadows mid section.

When he missed, Link drew his blade back in his arm while Dark Link turned through the air in the flip he'd performed, and the Master Sword began to glow in his hand, the blade growing brighter and brighter over each moment as he charged his energy into it. Holding his shield up, he watched Dark Link landing on the ground before him, taking only a moment to gather his bearing because both the wound in his side had slowed him down a good bit, as well as that he was getting winded now due to the fact that his lighter half had no wounds to make up for.

Taking a heavy breath, Dark Link pushed himself toward his light half, ready to clash his weapon down against Link's shield, and as Dark Link neared him, Link turned his blade in his hand, and then swung it around with a ferocity that was unmatched to any of his previous attacks. As he did, the energy he'd charged his blade with flared out, smashing into Dark Link's shield as well as knocking the shadow incarnation several feet backwards and into the dirt with the blow.

Sliding across the grass, Dark Link rolled onto his side and grunted, looking up to see the arches settled across from him on their horses, Betarro and Olnor. He was in their line of sight easily now, and he sneered, pushing himself to his feet. Taking the free path he saw as he got it, he ran past Link swiftly, heading toward the two horses. He came running toward them diagonally from their front left sides, Olnor closer than Betarro was.

"Now!"

Having the shot they'd been waiting on, they took their chances, and as the arrows went flying, Dark Link pushed his shield forward, hearing the weapons clink off of the metal and fly toward the side. Then he pulled his sword back in his arm and pushed it forward hard, throwing the blade through the air.

Link had turned to go chase his shadow down the moment Dark Link had started running away from him. As he chased, he saw Dark Link's blade flying through the air in a spin swiftly, the sword inevitably embedding itself into Olnor's gut, knocking a grunted breath of air out of the man who dropped his bow and the arrow he was about to notch immediately.

Olnor could only barely hear his name yelled by his friend sitting next to him somehow. The pain he was experiencing didn't allow him to concentrate on much else, and Dark Link swung himself up behind the impaled man swiftly, shoving him to the side so that he could escape on Olnor's steed, tugging his weapon from the man's wound whenever his body fell away.

Betarro would have attacked Dark Link when he'd done that, but he was too busy trying to catch his mortally wounded friend to be able to. Only a moment passed as well before Dark Link took off on the horses back. Link had to duck to the side in order to avoid being run over by the goaded stallion, riding swiftly off into the distance whenever Link managed to get his head up from his evasive roll.

Gripping his sword tightly in his hand while pushing himself up, Link stared off in the direction of the retreating shadow, his teeth clenched in anger, having the mind to get on Epona and chase him down brutally. But the thud of Betarro's feet hitting the ground drew his attention, and glancing over, he saw Betarro holding his close friend, yelling his name.

Dark Link had to be let go of for now. Link owed Olnor for the trouble, as well as for believing in his innocence to begin with.

Zelda had headed over to them, and Link turned and asked her, "Can you perform that spell you learned in the fairy cave?"

She shook her head, "No, I don't have enough strength right now, and I think that wound is too bad anyway." But there had to be _something_ they could do, and quickly, her mind searched for it. Then she snapped her fingers. "I'll get one of the fairies she gave us!," and she turned to run to their horses in order to grab it. As she did this, Link sheathed his sword and ran toward the two men, getting on the side opposite of Betarro as he looked down at Olnor.

"We have a healing fairy," Link told them both, "just hang in there a little longer, Olnor."

Slowly, nodding his head, Olnor reached up and put his hand on Link's shoulder, saying, "I'm sorry we judged you. Can you forgive us?"

Link shook his head, "Rest, Olnor, just rest for now. I never held any of you in contempt. It wasn't your fault."

Glancing up, Link saw Betarro giving him a look that suggested he was both ashamed of himself and also just as apologetic as Olnor had been. For this young man to say something like that truly surprised the large red headed man, and he knew in that moment that any anger he'd felt toward the kid before had definitely been misplaced, after all, not only had Link fought this shadow off, gone to prison in his name willingly to protect his friend, as well as stayed to save Olnor's life now, but he had also saved the life of his daughter, and five other girls he'd never even met before.

Betarro had never met someone whom had changed his entire impression of them in one day straight, but Link had gone from criminal to nobility in no time flat.

Zelda came running toward them with the bottle they'd kept their fairies in clutched in her palm, kneeling down next to Link as she pulled the top off of it. Link had held up Olnor's hand to take one of the fairies into his palm, and once he had, Link closed his fingers around the little pink ball of light. His palm began to glow before Link released his fingers, and the fairy went spiraling around the injured man in the air as it released twinkles of light.

The three of them watched while she faded away from them, slowly glancing back down at Olnor who's breathing was becoming much more steady now. Betarro asked them, "Where did you find that?"

"The Fairy Maiden of Lake Hylia gave her to us." Zelda informed him, reaching over with the sleeve of her shirt to wipe some blood from Olnor's face, not squeamish in the least about helping the man out at all.

"You'd use that to help us?"

"Of course," Zelda went on, looking at Betarro, her eyes kind, "why wouldn't we?"

Betarro still felt guilty it seemed, but he only sighed and looked down at Olnor as the man coughed softly, beginning to heal up slowly. Seeing how much better his best friend looked already, a grin worked it's way onto his cheeks, and he told Olnor in jest, "You just won't ever die, will you, old friend!?"

Smirking, Olnor shook his head, "Not while I'm staring up at your ugly face."

The comment made Betarro laugh somewhat loudly, and finally, once he'd sobered up a bit, he glanced at Link and Zelda while still grinning. With a sigh of breath, he started, "I am truly sorry for blaming you two of such a crime, contempt or not. I should go catch your fairy for you again."

"No, it's okay," Link told him with a shake of his head, "let her go, she served her purpose."

"But what if one of you need her?"

"We'll find another," he reassured the big man. "Besides, you really don't owe us anything. If we hadn't come along, Dark Link never would have caused any problems here."

Betarro was going to argue with that, but a voice distracted him. "Father?"

Everyone glanced over as they saw Kiama and Nissa coming toward the scene. Nissa had departed from Link when he'd been led to the home Zelda was in, telling her she should go find Kiama and watch over the young lady incase anything were to happen. Back with her now, when the fifteen year old saw them, and saw the blood her father's friend was covered in, she gasped and moved in more quickly. "Olnor!"

"It's alright, sweetheart," Betarro said, putting his arm around her shoulders as she reached his side. "Olnor's fine. Your friends here saved his life."

Kiama took a deep breath in relief, and she smiled at Link and Zelda. Somehow it made both of them feel good to know that they had both restored their tattered reputations amongst the town due to Dark Link's meddling, and Link told them, "It's nothing," with a shake of his head.

"Humble," Betarro chuckled, then he looked over at Kiama, "we'll need someone to help me get Olnor inside."

Olnor was trying to sit up now, saying, "I can walk, Betarro, I think everything's fine now."

"Quiet you old fool, you're going to be cared for, fairy magic or not. You might not die staring up at my ugly face, but you definitely won't die because I'm too stupid not to listen to your stubborn whining."

The comment had Link grinning when Olnor groaned over the words, and Link offered, "I'll help you."

"No, you go with Kiama, I don't want her alone at night for too long."

Thinking that sounded fair, Link stood up to do so. As he went, Zelda said to him, "I'll wait here, alright?"

"Alright," Link gave her a nod, walking off with Kiama in order to get someone to help bring Olnor back to his home. As they went, Kiama asked Link what happened, and Link told her the story. Zelda watched them go, then glanced down at Olnor when she heard his voice directed at her.

"He is a noble young man."

She nodded in reply, considering that, and how she truly felt for him, which she'd realized the extent of with Dark Link earlier. Having remained silent in her thought over the matter, Betarro got her attention when he asked, "You're the Princess, aren't you?"

Zelda turned a set of wide eyes at him, her lips parting, surprised that he knew that. "I, well..."

"It's fine," Betarro nodded, "Olnor and I both know the real story of the king. This is the reason Engleton is one of the last places in Hyrule outside of Kakariko and Roshala to have a soldier outpost near it. Olnor and I have worked hard to make sure something of that measure is waylaid for as long as possible. We were privileged to know a man whom had been a Royal Guard, and held the truth behind many mysteries that several citizens don't know in full."

"I see," Zelda told him, and then she nodded her head, "I am the true Princess, yes. But only when we can succeed in taking the crown from Ganondorf."

"Hopefully," Olnor spoke up, his voice still soft as if he might've been very tired, "that will be sooner rather than later. Especially if your kindness is any indication to the type of ruler you will become."

Zelda granted Olnor a little smile over the words, and gave the man a nod of her head. She hoped for the same thing, a sigh of breath escaping her lips, showing up as steam in the darkness of the evening while they sat in the yard outside of the home she'd been on arrest inside of while they waited for Link and Kiama to return. "Well, we'll see what happens. For now, let's just worry about taking care of things here."


	28. Truth

_Chapter 27 - Truth_

So much had happened since they'd left Death Mountain that Link felt like he couldn't remember which way was up.

First they'd run into the girls on the wagon which they'd set free, then they'd gone to Engleton and somewhere along the way visited a fairy cave, and after that, he'd been set up by his dark half only to be thrown in prison along with the men he'd had put there from the wagon a day or so beforehand.

Somewhere in the middle of it all he almost remembered kissing his childhood friend, or had that part just been dreamed up? He wasn't sure anymore.

Not to mention, Zelda had acted slightly strange around him ever since she'd been on house arrest earlier, stuck in the dark with the mimicry, and Link really wanted to know what had happened. Sadly though, the details on that story would have to wait for now. He just hoped that until he found out, she would be fine.

Deciding it didn't really matter at the moment and he would question her over it later, Link was just glad he could remember most of how it had happened in his head, and wasn't crazy because of all of the chaos just yet. Once they had Olnor taken care of, resting soundly, he'd gone out onto the porch of Betarro's home, wearing a cloak Kiama had given him in order to keep warm.

He and Zelda ended up talking for a short while with Kiama and Nissa, as well as a young lady residing there now named Jada that reminded Link too much of Zelda, and considering the trauma she'd been through, it gave Link an uneasy feeling, explaining to him one of the reasons why Zelda had become upset to the point of tears the morning they'd sent the girls traveling to Engleton. Somehow he got the feeling that Zelda saw herself in Jada and such a thought both scared and saddened her.

It made him more angry than anything, on Jada's behalf, as well as the other girls, and especially Zelda. He just couldn't stop the feelings he had for her from blooming the way they were, and found comfort in the fact that she didn't know his true admiration, so that matters wouldn't become so complicated. He'd watched her quietly throughout their talking, those thoughts stuck in his mind, before he realized he'd barely been participating in the conversation.

So he'd let the ladies speak amongst each other as he headed outside to clear his thoughts. He needed the time to think things over anyway.

It was another cold evening, but at least it wasn't raining. Considering this while he leaned against the wall, preparing the topics in his head he wanted to consider, he heard a match being struck and glanced over to see the form of a familiar hooded face standing on the end of the porch, the fire from the match he'd lit casting a slight glow of red off of his hood as he stuck the fire into the tip of his pipe and took a draw of breath.

"Lyonel?" Link asked with some obvious surprise, stepping toward him. "When did you get here?"

"Not too long ago," his solemn voice replied. "But I did arrive in time to see what your mimicry did to Olnor. I'm glad you managed to save him. Olnor's a good man."

Stepping closer to the once Royal Guard, Link nodded his head in agreement, asking, "Did you need me to ask for your welcome inside? Olnor's asleep, but Betarro's up, he wanted to make something to eat since we were all a little hungry."

"No, that won't be necessary," Lyonel declined politely. "I know Olnor and Betarro, however I won't be staying for too terribly long sadly. If they knew I was here, they'd only delay me, and I need to leave soon."

"Then," Link drew out, shaking his head slightly, "why did you come here?"

"Well," Lyonel replied, blowing a line of smoke from his shadowed lips, "I wanted to ask if you'd ride with me. There's something I wanted to show you not too far from here."

Hearing this, Link nodded and replied, "Of course, what is it?"

Turning to step down off of the side of the porch, Lyonel waved his hand in silent gesture for Link to follow him, and in doing so, Lyonel simply replied, "Come. I'll show you."

"I should tell Zelda," Link added, "she might miss me and go looking for me if I don't."

"No," Lyonel informed him, "it won't be long enough for her to notice. Besides, she's with other ladies, and sometimes they can chat for a while."

Deciding to listen to him, smiling over his suggestion of ladies chatting for long amounts of time since he knew that was the truth, Link started walking as he said, "Alright."

It took them a little time, but not too long later, just as Lyonel had suggested, their horses trotted up through the woods, shrouding Engleton from a cliff side overlooking the Lake Hylia. The water of the huge lake stretched out under the moonlight for miles, glistening like a billion stars, the same it reflected in the night sky. Lyonel stopped his horse near the edge of the cliff, looking back as Epona trotted up with Link, the wind whipping up the cliff side and through his hair while he overlooked the scenery with the man sitting near him.

"I know Myriad sent you here as the next step in your quest. Have you ever heard of Zora's Domain?"

Nodding to Lyonel's question as he turned to look at the man, Lyonel went on, "They, as the rest of us, know there's evil about the lands these days, and they've unleashed one of their guardians to protect their home."

"Guardians?" Link asked, a questioning look on his face.

"Watch the lake, Link," Lyonel replied. Blinking at him, Link decided to listen, and he looked back out at the waters, watching as Lyonel had suggested. Silence passed by them for a short while, until, in the distance on the water, Link could see something jumping from the surface and landing with a large splash hardly a moment later. The sight caused his brows to narrow and his lips to part. Whatever it was, it was apparently huge, and he could only imagine what it might be capable of.

"That's the guardian," Lyonel started. "You may not be able to weather the lake without consequences."

"What _is_ it?"

"Well, that's left to be seen." Lyonel sat back and looked toward the young man while he watched the surface of the lake quietly for more spottings of the creature, continuing on with his explanation. "Fish, monster, who can tell? All that have been unfortunate enough to get caught within it's jaws haven't returned to tell the tale."

Shaking his head, Link glanced over at the former guard and asked him, "Does Myriad know about it?"

Lyonel shook his head, "I couldn't say. She knows many things, but only if told to her, or seen in visions. You'll be able to consult her again before you travel to the lake, however. There's a stone in the Misty Falls just past here. It's secluded, so you'll have to look harder for it, but it's there. Misty Falls is a chasm of gorges at the pit of cliff sides where several things reside, including danger, but it's the safest way to Lake Hylia, as well as the quickest from the fields. I just thought to pass this information along to you since it wasn't likely you'd find the stone before you attempted to cross the lake, unwitting of the danger there."

"Thank you," Link responded.

Listening, nodding, Link considered it all, and as he did, he was surprised to find that Lyonel was turning to ride on. Quickly, Link stopped him, turning on Epona himself and asking, "Lyonel?"

Lyonel slowed to a halt and looked back, "Yes?"

Link figured the man's sudden appearance and his quick departure now had reasons behind it, prompting him to ask his next question. "Why are you all the way out here instead of in Roshala?"

Link watched the man quietly while he waited on his answer. Turning his hooded head, Lyonel looked forward again and remained silent for only a moment before he told Link, "Trouble has it's ways of finding you when you need it least."

Link had began to trot toward him. As he did so, he heard Lyonel telling him in addition, "Don't follow me now, Link. And don't ask me to go with you." Finally he looked over at the young Hylian and added, "You and Zelda have your own destinies, and I have mine."

"But you can't just live on the run until Hyrule is restored, Lyonel." Link narrowed his brows when Lyonel didn't seem inclined to stop and discuss this with him, and he rode ahead of him just a bit, making sure he had the man's full attention instead of just allowing him to leave as he was currently set on doing. Stopping Epona in front of the horse he was riding, he added, "You have to go somewhere safe, where you won't be found."

"I have somewhere safe," Lyonel reassured him, "and Myriad will tell you where that is. It's not a strong fortification yet, but I plan on taking up that responsibility. There are those who have heard rumors of the mind control, the brainwashing that Dragmire begot on the king and queen, there always have been. There's word that there was another, a true child of Hyrule royalty that wasn't the currently stationed king. But these rumors were overshadowed by the belief that Myriad and the other Sages had turned their backs on everyone.

"Uncertain of the truth and who to trust, the people waited. If Myriad awoke, they would know that she hadn't abandoned Hyrule, and that the stories of the false king were true. Now that she has, some people have gathered to rebel against him."

Listening to the story, taking it all in, Link shook his head at the man, "You were just going to leave without saying anything?"

"As I'd said," Lyonel explained, "your and Zelda's destinies differ from mine. Ask Myriad more, she will be able to relay the information to you, as I have given her."

Link didn't want to just leave it at that, his brows narrowing as he was about to speak, but that's when a voice rose above his own, interrupting him. "Well, if Myriad knows, then there's a chance Ganondorf can get it out of her, now isn't there, Lyonel?"

Lyonel's expression went a bit grim. He knew that voice, though it'd been ten years since he'd heard it, and Link looked over, beyond Lyonel, to see the same soldier he'd spied the day they left Roshala, the one with the white eye and the scar on his face, slowly trotting up on his horse from the darkness behind the Royal Guard's position before him.

"You!," Link exclaimed angrily, pulling his sword from it's sheath.

Lyonel held up his hand, having not even turned to look back at Arden while the man trotted in toward them both casually. Seeing his hand, Link narrowed his brows and lowered his arm slowly, listening as Lyonel said, "Don't get involved, Link, not now."

"Yes," Arden chuckled, "this isn't your fight, kid. The grownups have a bit of talking to do. So run along now, like I know Lyonel's going to send you doing." Arden smirked and Lyonel finally turned about on his horse to face the man, crossing his arms over the pommel of his saddle casually as he leaned forward like he were just sitting with an old friend to talk to them.

Arden came to a stop on his own horse's back, his large black stallion snorting loudly as he spoke again, "So, relaying secret messages to your wife, hmm? You know, I can't begin to imagine what Ganondorf might threaten to do in order to get it out of her once he finds out what she knows."

Lyonel's blue eyes turned to ice, though he made no expression, but Link, sitting behind him, looked surprised. "Your wife? Myriad?"

"He didn't tell you?" Arden chuckled out. "No, of course not. It wasn't important. Just as long as you become the hero we're all dying to see, isn't that right, Lyonel? Ganondorf might be a merciless, arrogant bastard, but you're just as predictable as he'd said, and so is Myriad."

"Have you spoken enough yet," Lyonel chimed in, "or are you no longer burning with the desire to pull your blade and have at one of your oldest enemies?"

"Oh, that desire never dies," Arden told Lyonel certainly. "You'll experience the full force of it tonight. Perhaps even that kid will taste a bit more than what I've previously showed him as well if he doesn't listen and run along to play with the other children."

Link sneered at the old soldier, but he kept himself in check, as Lyonel had suggested he do, reaching his blade up to turn it and put it back into his sheath out of respect for Lyonel's wishes. Watching Link slip the Master Sword back into it's sheath, Arden grinned, "Good lad. Now, Lyonel, as you were saying?"

"The time for speech is over, Arden. If you're planning on telling Ganondorf what Myriad knows, then you'll simply have to be stopped. It's time now to finish what was started ten years ago."

"I couldn't agree more," Arden told him in response, pulling his large berserker's sword from the sheath upon his back. As he did so, Lyonel pushed his cloak to the side, revealing his own blade at his hip, a long, slender cutlass, and the two locked gazes for a brief moment.

Link had backed Epona away. While he wanted to aid in the fight, this was unfinished business, and the business wasn't his own. It really would have been rude for him to interfere no matter how much he wanted to, but in that moment, he heard a gasp which distracted him, and he looked back to see Zelda having come running toward the scene. Without a choice now, and thankfully so, he turned on Epona and started riding toward her.

Once he reached her, Zelda looked up at him and asked, "Link, what's going on?"

Link looked back when he heard the loud clash of metal, seeing that Arden and Lyonel had engaged in battle. As he watched Lyonel's swift movements against Arden's strength, he shook his head, reaching his hand down for her. "It's a long story, I'll explain it later. Come on."

"But, aren't you going to help him?"

"It's not my business." Link shook his head, "Lyonel asked me not to interfere."

"Link, he could be killed!," Zelda told him, "We should do something!"

Zelda looked up at him, the hopeful expression in her eyes making him clench his fist. This was the one time he couldn't fulfill her wishes, and he said, "Don't look at me like that, just take my hand. Listen to me."

Zelda glanced back over at the fighting when he'd told her that, watching a white glow envelope Lyonel's blade as he spun back from a hard swipe of Arden's sword, then swung his cutlass forward in an arc, causing a surge of energy to shoot forth from his weapon in the shape of a crescent moon, slamming into Arden and knocking him backwards with a harsh impact. Somehow she knew Link was right, this wasn't their fight in particular. It seemed much more personal, and even though she wanted to help, as Link did, she turned to him and took his hand.

Link helped Zelda onto his horse behind himself and told her to hold on before he took off with her and out of sight. As they rode away, uncertain of the battle's outcome, Link stopped at Betarro's home to find Frost. Once he had, Zelda explained to him that everyone had gone to bed when she'd come to find him, and since the ground was still damp, she'd managed to follow the horse's hoof prints through the trees to where they'd gone to.

Nodding his understanding, Link asked her, "Is there anything you need to get from inside the home?"

Zelda, sitting behind Link still, narrowed her brows while she considered it and asked, "No, I don't think so, why?"

As she was dismounting Epona, he replied, "Because we need to leave as soon as we can."

Stopping next to Epona, looking up at him in surprise, she shook her head, "Because of Lyonel?"

"Because more soldiers could have followed him here, and I don't want to risk this town falling into anymore chaos than it already has."

Frowning, Zelda turned her face away from him, apparently disliking the idea as much as she knew it made sense. But she nodded her agreement despite how she felt. "I hate having to rush away without saying goodbye," she said as she went over to Frost.

"Zelda? Link?"

The voice had come from the front porch, Kiama opening the front door as she'd stepped outside, looking a little bit groggy, Nissa sitting on her shoulder. Link and Zelda glanced over at the young lady, and Zelda replied, "Kiama, I thought you were asleep?"

"I was trying to, but I couldn't get there. I kept thinking about being kidnaped," she explained, fidgeting with the robe that she'd put on, asking then, "Why are you two leaving so suddenly?"

Seeing that she'd heard their short conversation, with a sigh of breath, Zelda was about to explain, when Link started before she could as he dismounted Epona and walked over to her. "Because there could be soldiers coming this way who want to stop us from getting to our destination. I don't want Engleton to fall under more fire because we're just passing through."

Kiama frowned at him, and Nissa, still sitting on her shoulder, piped up, "Did you see someone?"

"Yes," Link nodded, "that's why I want to go now, as soon as possible."

Though the girl look disappointed, she didn't seem inclined to stop them, somehow knowing that soldiers coming there wouldn't be good just as well as Link and Zelda did. "I see," Kiama replied dejectedly, but when Link put his hand on her shoulder, she turned her blue eyes up to look at him.

"We'll be back," Link promised, "we'll come to visit you once everything is over and done. Okay?"

The comforting words and promise made Kiama smile again, nodding her head to the two in agreement. Once she had, Zelda walked over, and Nissa flew toward her, saying, "Zelda, I'd like to stay here with Kiama, and Jada, and help them recover. I think I could do a lot for them both, what do you think?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Zelda smiled, reaching up to pat Nissa gently with her fingertip. "I'm sure they'll get better much faster with you around."

"Thank you!," Nissa replied, flying in to hug Zelda's neck, then Link's before she went back to land on Kiama's shoulder. "You two take care of yourselves, okay!?"

Zelda nodded, and Link smiled, promising them, "We will, and you too. Be careful, Kiama, and take care of Jada."

"I'll try to. She'll be staying with us, kind of like my sister, so I got something very good out of it all." Still smiling, Kiama stepped in and hugged the both of them. Once she'd stepped back, she asked Zelda, "Did you wrap up the dress?"

"Yes," Zelda nodded, leaving Link in the dark over the comment for now, adding, "I put it on the saddle so I could take it with me. I'll think of you when I wear it."

"Okay," Kiama grinned, stepping back onto the front porch again. "Be well!"

She'd called those words to them as they'd mounted their horses. Only a few moments later, they were heading away from the small town just as suddenly as they felt they'd arrived there. Watching them leave, Nissa on her shoulder, Kiama looked at the fairy when she heard a sniffle, and when Nissa exclaimed how much she was going to miss them, Kiama just grinned and patted her head, turning to walk back into her house where it was much warmer.

For Link and Zelda, their own thoughts revolved around many different things. Link considered Lyonel, and could only hope that he would see him again somewhere down the road, once he'd found out from Myriad where the man was heading exactly. He also hoped Lyonel defeated Arden completely, in order to give them all one less problem to contend with. Though, even if Arden was defeated, somehow Link got the feeling another problem would just rise in his place until Ganondorf himself was stopped. With those thoughts in mind, he started leading Zelda to the Misty Falls, which they had to pass through in order to reach Lake Hylia, where both Myriad and Lyonel had sent them this time.

---

The rocky walls of the Misty Falls rose up as high as towers, the landscape painting a very serene and mystical feel. The chasm that led through to Lake Hylia was indeed beautiful, foggy, but very serene, only the flood of water about them as it tumbled over the rising cliff side's making any sound at all amongst the scattered trees and plant life.

According to Lyonel, it was a bit dangerous here, and Link, as they rode through it, putting as much distance between themselves and Engleton as they could, saw why it could be considered that way. It was a slight maze of chasms and gorges, and there could have been something hiding anywhere, monsters, Poes which Link did spy one on the way in, though it left them be and disappeared, as well as probably thieves and the like. He didn't stop riding for a while though, despite their fatigue, only slowed down once they were well within the midst of the area.

Despite the scenery or their nonstop ride, Zelda couldn't quite notice the beauty surrounding them in that moment, too preoccupied with other thoughts to be able to really take it in like she would have liked to. Dark Link's actions in Engleton kept clouding her mind, and she couldn't help her somber mood over it.

They'd only taken one brief reprieve along the way. She'd cried when she'd been alone during that stop. She felt violated, and disgusted at herself on top of it. She'd let that mimicry do all of those things to her, kiss her, grope her, make her admit her feelings for Link to herself when she didn't think she was quite ready to yet, and she hadn't even been able to tell the difference between him and the real thing.

She kept trying to reassure herself that this entity which had violated her was designed to mimic Link in every way possible, but to carry out Link's darker sides primarily, as everyone had them. But she just couldn't convince herself entirely, kept believing there had to have been a way for her to have known it wasn't the real Link. Was she actually a bad person who wanted too much, was so blinded by her desire for something more between herself and her friend that she couldn't even tell the truth of who she'd actually been with?

She couldn't even look at Link while they rode, considering that thought, too embarrassed and ashamed to, thinking she was greedy and selfish.

Her fists gripped Frost's reigns more tightly, her heart swelling with shame as well as with the newly accepted thoughts of love she had for her protector. Dark Link made her admit those thoughts in her own head, and she just couldn't forget about them now, couldn't imagine not seeing Link from day to day, wanted to think about how nice it might be to actually kiss _him_, and not his evil mimicry. And with that notion came the feelings of violation once again, remembering how he'd not only kissed her, but even touched her in very personal spots, making her skin crawl.

Adding insult to injury was that she'd enjoyed it, though of course, she'd thought he was someone else, but it was still a slap in the face nonetheless.

She knew that if Dark Link had tried to go any further than he'd been going with her in the dark however, she _would_ have stopped him. She had felt comfortable up until the moment that Olnor had come knocking that it was all just innocent touching, a bit laced with heavy temptation. She would have found out on her own if Olnor hadn't come to the door, but she was scared of how far it might've gone if he hadn't, if she'd told him to stop, and he wouldn't. Would he have raped her, trying to make her believe it was actually Link?

She knew for absolute certain that, had it come to that, she would have known the difference. But all of these doubts and thoughts trailing through her head while they trotted through the chasm of Misty Falls were making her extremely doubtful about everything period, making her question things that previously she never would have even guessed at.

While she thought, Link had caught sight of her face several times, and finally, he couldn't stand it anymore. She looked so completely downtrodden at times, and even ill at others, that he had to know exactly what was plaguing her mind, what Dark Link had done to her in that house that was making her act this way, silent and closed off, worrying him endlessly.

So he stopped Epona in her tracks and turned to dismount her, allowing the horse to graze through the grassy floor quietly. This was a good place to stop and rest anyway, as they both so needed it. So he'd set up camp here, but not before he got his answers.

The movement got Zelda's attention, and she tugged on Frost's reigns to get the horse to halt in his movement. "Do you need a break?" She asked him as he came walking over to her.

Link didn't respond, just reached up for her hands. Zelda, narrowing her brows in a slight bit of confusion, turned and took them, letting him help her down. Once she was settled on her feet properly, she looked up at him and saw the look of concern in his eyes. Before she could say anything though, he spoke his worries to her.

"Ever since we've left Engleton, you've been acting strange. Sad and depressed, and quiet. I know it has to do with what happened with _him_," he enunciated, "and I want to know exactly what that bastard did to you. I don't want you to hide anything from me."

Hearing Link saying something like that caused her throat to close off, her breath catching as if she couldn't breathe at all. She stared up at him, able to see the determination and worry on his face to know the truth and make any wrongs done to her right, and he in turn could see her eyes glistening with unshed tears, taking in a breath as he put his hands on her shoulders. Maybe he'd said that too harshly and scared her. She looked scared, and in a way, she looked scared_ of him_. That just would _not_ do.

"Did he lie to you about me? What did he say, Mira?"

He couldn't help it. The name had slipped out, and in that moment, he refused to correct himself, wanting to remind her that they had known each other since they were children, and that he'd never do anything to hurt her. It was there in her eyes, looking at him as if she were uncomfortable around him, and he couldn't stand it, would do anything to set it right.

When he said the name, it struck a chord, and she suddenly felt completely silly for keeping so much from him. The tears fell down her cheeks, her inability to handle the rush of newly admitted feelings she had for Link overwhelming her, and she lowered her face to her hands and started crying unabashedly. She hated being so emotional, really hated seeing that look of worry in his eyes, but she couldn't help herself in that moment.

"I'm-I'm sorry," she hiccupped softly as she stepped closer to him, "just hug me for a moment."

He lifted his arms up and around her as he narrowed his brows, doing like she'd asked him, hugging her tightly and protectively. He wanted to comfort her, not add to her unease. Softly, he told her, "I'm not trying to force you to talk about something too soon, but I can't stand seeing you hurt like this, feeling like he might've said something about me that was a lie, or just that looking at me reminds you of him and what happened with him. I need to know so I can help set it right again."

She hiccupped again as he'd said the words, finally putting her arms around him and returning his embrace as they stood there, seeing that he thought maybe she was uncomfortable just being around him, which wasn't true, not because of his dark half anyway. Turning her head to rest it on his shoulder, she tried to catch her breath and get her voice to work as she started speaking quietly, telling him what had happened, and why she was acting the way she had been.

"He hurt me," she started, "by pretending to be you in the dark, saying things to me that you would say, making me believe it was you completely, and I couldn't see through it, like I don't really know you."

Hearing this, Link closed his eyes tightly, trying to keep his anger down while he hugged her, felt her shaking, the words she spoke of hurting him to hear. "You know me better than anyone, except maybe Nabooru," he reminded her, "and that's the truth, just as I know you like Impa does. Don't let yourself think you don't just because a mimicry decided to play the part."

Promising her that, he felt her lift her head after a moment, slowly shaking it. He let her step back to see what she would continue to say, and finally, she told him what she'd been thinking of.

"There's more, Link. He told me he feels the way you feel, about me. He said he set you up just to get you out of the picture so he could have me to himself." She wiped her eyes, trying to settle down before more tears could roll out of her, and then glanced up to his face, "He was kissing me, even," she shuddered before glancing away in shame, "taking some liberties as well, and then said that he was curious about why you liked me so much. I know it has to be true, Link, but," she sighed out, "I need to know if it really is. I feel so selfish for needing to know, but I do. I want to know if you...feel that way toward me, because if you do, then I can stop worrying."

Link couldn't help himself when he stepped toward her, "He touched you?"

Zelda shook her head, still too ashamed to look at him, "Don't ask me about that, it's too," she shivered, unable to help it or finish her words. "I just want to stop thinking about that part, okay?"

Link look angry, and told her, "If he–"

"Please," she whispered, "he didn't go far, so don't get mad," she informed him. "Let's just be completely honest right now, okay? I have to know if it was a lie, so I can put some of these doubts to rest."

Seeing she wanted an answer, even needed it, Link glanced to the side, almost unable to believe aside from it all that even though Dark Link was an evil, twisted version of himself, he could understand anything that Link felt, which actually scared Link just a little. Knowing how much this woman meant to him gave Dark Link a way to make his lighter half vulnerable, or would he really attempt to harm Zelda because of the way he also seemed to feel toward her?

Deciding it was too complicated to think about in that moment, Link just concentrated on answering her question. But even that wasn't an easy undertaking. He'd promised himself he'd never let her know because she had so much on her plate already, and he didn't want to hinder her from what she wanted so badly, which was to restore her family's name. But she wanted his honestly, was giving him the hopeful look she possessed that he knew he had to give in to, and he decided he'd have to break his promise after all. She felt as if she no longer knew him, so he had to put her at ease.

Finally, he looked back at her, nodding his head. "It's true, Zelda. I've grown more fond of you than I probably should have. Even before I took the Master Sword, when I first saw you again that day in Kakariko, I noticed things about you that when I was a kid I would have never even thought of. Ever since then, it's grown on me, and I know I can't stop it, but I promised myself I wouldn't let it get the best of me for your sake."

Zelda breathed out a shaky breath as he spoke, turning her head to look up at him while he turned to his side and went on without looking at her. "Sometimes I dream about you, and sometimes I think about forgetting everything just so you'll never become a Princess and I won't have to watch you possibly being taken out of my life. I know it might not happen, but the bottom line is that I _am_ a commoner, and you're royalty. And those are selfish thoughts that don't have a place with what we're seeking out when so much else is at stake."

As he thought it over, he nodded his head and went on, "Yes, I love you more than just as a friend, but I wanted to keep it quiet because what I'm trying to accomplish means I have to give up what I really want, what would make me happy. It's not about me, it's about everything else. But I'm not giving that up for the people of this land, or for the crown." He looked over at her, "I'm giving it up for you, because that's what would make _you_ happy. I couldn't make you uncomfortable knowing you had so much admiration coming from someone who is supposed to protect you when you don't return those same feelings."

She couldn't stop looking at him. He really believed that, didn't he? He was willing to sacrifice what he wanted, his happiness, in order to make her feel at peace again, and somehow, she just couldn't get past that fact. He was selfless and caring, where Dark Link was the exact opposite. Dark Link was actually going to steal her away because of how he felt, and realizing this, she remembered the mimicry's words that he just approached those feelings differently than his lighter half, because he had the same drives, he just operated on selfishness.

The thought gave her insight into the evil mimicry's mind, but for the moment, she didn't consider it at all. Instead, she stepped toward Link, the one she _really_ wanted to understand better. In some strange way, the dark half helped her in that endeavor, realizing that he would never take what he wanted unless it was offered to him, and she wanted to offer it now.

Link hadn't been completely sure how she'd react to the truth, and in a way, his mind had settled on the thought that Dark Link had kissed her, even touched her, which had just made him more angry all over again. But before that anger could set in though, Link found Zelda taking his upper arm in her hand, and he looked down at her as she stepped closer to him.

He was a bit surprised as she leaned up slowly, meeting her soft lips to his, kissing him with meaning. He stared at her for just a moment, but then closed his eyes in order to return the kiss, leaning down into it so she wouldn't have to stand on her tiptoes to reach him.

A spark charged through her that hadn't happened exactly that way when his dark half had kissed her, though it had been there since she was under the impression that it was Link instead. It was just much more intense this time, and it made her dig her fingers into the sleeves of his shirt with a wave of dizziness running through her, somehow making her tingle in a way she couldn't explain.

Link had moved his arms around her in response to the kiss, hugging her against himself more tightly, able to feel her through their clothing and the chainmail he wore, but not well enough to get a proper feel of her shape. Still, she was soft, just like every other time he'd hugged her, and he wanted to feel it now while he kissed her, deepening that kiss slowly.

His lips slanted gently over hers, making her lightheaded, and what's more, she realized that somehow, he was still a good kisser, as if he might've known what he was doing and exuded confidence over it, though she didn't have much basis for comparison since this was essentially her first real kiss.

Both of them had taken in their breaths more deeply through their noses, a bit more swiftly as their heart rates picked up, and Zelda was surprised when Link broke it off out of no where, having somehow expected him to continue on, wondering if maybe she was under the assumption that just because Dark Link exerted no control that Link wouldn't either.

As he pulled back slowly, she realized she was using him for support, her legs boneless in feel, and she heard him asking her softly, "What are you doing?"

"I love you," she whispered out in response, "last night, I was forced to admit it to myself finally when I thought you were with me, saying things about how you felt. Up until now, I just blamed the feelings on being a silly girl with no experience, especially when I saw how other girls treated you when they saw you. But now I know it's true, and I wanted to know how you felt before I admitted it to you, just incase he was lying to me, so I could avoid a problem. It's not just a silly infatuation I have. Knowing this now, and that you won't take anything unless offered to you, maybe not even then, I had to kiss you for it."

Somehow, those words had been the sweetest he'd heard in a long while, like a weight was lifted off of his chest in finding out that he wasn't alone in his romantic feelings for the woman he held so closely to him now. He'd been blaming himself of being selfish just as much as she had, thinking his admiration for her was one sided, not completely able to see the full truth due to the need for consideration of the opposite's feelings. But now that he knew the truth, somehow he could see clearly, all along, that she'd harbored those kinds of feelings for him to begin with.

His need to protect her from everything, even himself, made him blind to it. Now that he knew though, he felt like he'd taken his first breath since the evening they'd gone to the fairy cave a few nights before, and almost kissed then. Before he could comment on it though, she added to what she'd been saying.

"If I take the throne," Zelda started, "if I'm not allowed to stay with you, then I won't stay with anyone, I won't be the Princess, because that's what _you_ want, and it's what I really want as well. Taking up my position and righting the wrongs done to my parents is very important to me, and it would make me very happy, but if I can't be somewhere near you, then I won't be happy at all. I'd become miserable thinking that what I wanted pushed me away from you, and then left a sour taste in my mouth."

"Zelda," he breathed out slowly in response to those words, shaking his head as he lifted it in order to look down at her, "you know I can't ask that of you, and I'd feel terrible if you did that."

"And I'd feel terrible if you weren't happy," she responded, looking up at him seriously, her tone having risen just a bit as if she were ready to argue. "I know you can't ask it of me, and that's why I offer it now. If you have every right to sacrifice your happiness for mine, then I can do the same thing, and I will, and," she drew out, trying to think of something meaningful to say, but in the end, she simply settled on, "you can't stop me!"

Both of them had straight faces after she'd spoken those words, looked at each other seriously for a moment, but they suddenly snorted in amusement and started grinning. The heaviness of the mood seemed to drift away once they did, leaving their lighthearted snickering behind, and Link nodded his head at her, "Yes, my lady."

The response made her genuinely grin at him, and she grabbed him to hug him tightly. Link didn't mind one bit, content to stand there and hold her for a few minutes longer, considering it was a nice area to settle in for a while anyway. Lifting his hand up, he let his fingers comb through her hair finally, having been unable to really do that before without seeming a bit too close to her, but now, all he wanted to be was close to her. Looking down at her, his mouth settled against the top of her head, he had a thought, and he spoke it.

"You know, I didn't realize it back then, but I've loved you since we were children. I know we were seven when we got separated, but I still had feelings for you. I liked how you used to take my hand without even realizing it. It made me feel good in a way I couldn't explain. Like I was important to you."

The words made her smile, thinking back to how she did that a lot, and she wondered if it might've been for the same reason, because she'd loved him as a child too. Opening her eyes, she whispered, "I've always felt safe whenever you were around, even when Casimir threatened us, you made it seem alright. After you fell, I felt completely helpless, for a long time, as if I were weak. When I heard the rumors about you possibly being alive, I studied harder for Impa to try and improve myself, so that if you did show up, I wouldn't disappoint you again."

"That wasn't your fault," he told her, "no one could have prevented that. I think it was meant to be actually."

Zelda narrowed her brows, and she turned a curious gaze up at his face, asking, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well," he started, turning, an arm around her shoulders, walking with her over to Epona where the blankets were settled on her back, "I think we both needed time apart in order to become stronger, find out more of who we truly are, instead of growing up as if we were brother and sister, learn to survive on our own. That way we'd be more able to accept our true individual identities once the time came, instead of clinging to one another and refusing to leave the world we'd been sheltered in and fighting for what we have to."

His words made complete sense, and she smiled as he reached up for the blankets tied on Epona's back, handing one to her. Taking it, she looked up and asked, "Are you sure _you_ didn't get the Triforce of Wisdom?"

Link scratched his head and thought about that, then shrugged, "Nah, my Triforce has a little of everything. It's better than yours."

"Oh good goddess," Zelda rolled her eyes, "I do love you, but you can be so immature sometimes."

He'd started snickering softly over her comment, and as he did so, she glanced to the side and asked him, "So, what happens now? I mean, now that we know how each other feels, we can't ignore it, can we?"

"So we won't ignore it," he told her simply.

"But what about later, when I'm–"

She stopped when she saw the curious smile on his face, and somehow she knew what he was going to say. He confirmed it when he spoke, "Don't worry about it right now."

With a nod, she added, thinking of Myriad's words, "We should simply concentrate on what lay right before us."

"Right."

Smiling, Zelda glanced down at the the rolled up blanket he'd handed her and asked, "What's this anyway?"

"Towel."

"Towel?"

"Yeah, there's waterfalls and pools all around us. I think if we wanted to, now would be the perfect time to get cleaned up." He grabbed the bar of soap from the pouch on Epona's back and handed it to her, "Don't you agree?"

Smiling, she took the bar of soap with a nod and stepped back, acting somewhat hesitant. When she did, Link shook his head slowly in confusion, "What?"

"Well, I was curious about something." Blushing a little bit, she glanced away from his face and asked, "Where did you learn to kiss?"

Hearing the question and seeing her embarrassment over it, Link grinned at her, thinking back to that reason, his brows raising slightly. "Well," he started, "it all began in the Gerudo Valley with a girl named Masita."

He turned to walk away, leaving Zelda standing there behind him with wide eyes. It was true then! She couldn't help herself from the surprised look on her face as he took Epona's reigns acting as if he were going to walk away without saying anything else.

"Oh no you don't," she called after him, grabbing Frost's reigns and trying to catch up with him before he could get too far ahead of her. "I want to know what happened between you two!"

Link chuckled, walking on, replying, "Maybe I'll tell you later, after we've gotten our baths."


	29. Downtime

_Chapter 28 - Downtime_

Zelda had wide eyes and a dropped jaw, her fingers folded against her bottom lip. She was staring off into space, trying her best not to envision what Link had just told her about, but nonetheless it had made her blush anyway.

"You're not serious!"

Link was resting against a tree growing at the base of a pool of water in the Misty Falls which a waterfall about twenty feet across from them both was flowing down into. It was still foggy around them, always was from what they knew of Misty Falls, and they were both relaxing where they'd come to rest after their baths. As Link sat against the tree overlooking the gentle pool of water behind him, his arms were settled behind his head in a relaxed position, white undershirt and brown pants all that he was wearing aside from his boots, hair hanging freely about the nape of his neck as he shrugged to her question, an amused smirk on his face.

"Well, it's a group of all women, with a different culture," he informed her. "The Gerudo do a lot of things differently than we do, most of it wasn't something I took part in if I thought it wasn't right, but in a way, I could see how it could have been considered right if you'd been instilled with their values since birth."

"But," Zelda looked at him, "two women!? And you saw them!?"

She sounded completely aghast. Try as she might, she couldn't imagine a fifteen year old Link having stumbled upon two women kissing each other the same way she had kissed him earlier, and she definitely tried not to. In order to preoccupy herself, she went back to trying to brush her wet hair, suddenly shivering, and not due to any cold.

She was dressed in a simple white slip which she knew was considered unladylike, especially in front of a man, but this was Link, and she wasn't nude. Not to mention when they were very young they'd taken baths together, and while yes, their anatomy had changed as they'd grown up, she still felt comfortable enough around him to wear something she'd normally just sleep in. The thought had crossed her mind in fact, that she was comfortable enough to do so, but she also couldn't bring herself to mind it.

It was a chilly evening, and she'd planned on grabbing Link's cloak to wrap up in once she was done brushing her wetted locks of hair, but the reason she'd shivered was that she couldn't imagine kissing another woman herself.

"I'd die if I did that," she told him.

Looking at his face, his eyes closed while he rested, she saw him smiling, and he went on with his story, telling her about Masita. "Well, believe it or not, I saw it, more than once. The first time, I ran away," he chuckled, "because I thought they were trying to bite each other, and I wasn't going to have anything to do with it. I wasn't completely sure what was going on."

He heard her snickering, and then heard some shuffling. Opening one eye, he saw her wrapping the cloak he'd been wearing around her body, which he was actually thankful for. As modest as the slip had been, it was only knee length, and though she was wearing her brown boots and the material of the slip wasn't sheer at all, it was a flimsy material that left very little to the imagination. He was glad she was comfortable with him again, but he wished she wasn't _that_ comfortable, knowing she probably didn't understand the same way that he did what just looking at her body could do to him.

Feeling safer to open his eyes now though - the very reason he'd really closed them because he didn't want to torture himself - he glanced at her while she waited patiently for more of his story.

"The second time I saw it was when I realized they were kissing and not biting each other, and I reacted like you did, unable to believe it. I didn't mean to really watch them, but I couldn't stop, just," he shook his head, "surprised and shocked at what I'd realized. But, well, I got caught."

"Peeping tom," she snickered, completely curious despite the fact that the thought of two women kissing was very, well, taboo to her. "Who caught you, Nabooru?"

"Thankfully no," Link chuckled, "she never would have let me live it down. You saw how she always picked at me about Masita to begin with, and she doesn't even know the whole story."

"True," Zelda smirked, "then it was Masita, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," he drew out, snorting in amusement. "She thought I was trying to peep, but I guess my shock told her I just didn't think women did that kind of thing, so she took the time out to explain everything to me, that Gerudo did it because of the fact that they had to travel to find men, and that was usually only to have children, though sometimes they got married, but that was more infrequent."

"I see," Zelda nodded, considering that it was their culture after all, so despite the fact that she couldn't see herself with a woman in any way, she could understand how things developed with other people's ways of life. But she had a curious thought in that moment, slightly changing the subject, "By the way, how old is she again?"

Link thought about that for a minute, then said, "She's twenty one now, I think, three years older than me, or so."

Once that was explained, Zelda asked, "So then she taught you how to kiss like they were?"

Link snorted out his amusement, grinning, and the look made her become very curious, waiting on an answer and urging it out of him when he didn't give her one right away, "What!?"

"Well, Masita's very forward. She told me straight out that she liked me a lot, never hid it from me, and asked me if she could kiss me. I told her I didn't really feel the exact same thing for her, I liked her, a lot," he said honestly, "but I wasn't sure about it. So she kissed me suddenly to see what would happen."

Zelda stared at him quietly, holding the fabric of the cloak close to herself, thinking about this. If the way she'd felt a shock of heat when she'd kissed him earlier had been what Masita was looking for, then she could understand why he would do that. "Did you push her away?"

"No, I kissed her back."

She was probably about to get angry or maybe jealous, Link thought, but her reaction surprised him. He heard her snickering softly, and the sound drew his glance beneath a lifted brow. "What's so funny?"

"You're such a male," she grinned in explanation, "I don't think any man would turn down a kiss from a pretty woman. Well," she eyed Link, "that is, _was she_ pretty?"

He smiled over her questioning, asking her in return, "Are you going to get mad?"

"No, just be honest, I won't get mad, I promise."

Smirking, he nodded, then told her, "Yes, she had long black hair and green eyes, and darker skin than you have because of all of the sun."

Zelda felt jealous, frowning over it, but as she'd promised, she didn't get angry. Seeing the look, Link smirked, adding what he'd been about to say beforehand, "But I always remembered seeing a girl I didn't know the name of who I thought was much prettier, with blonde hair and pale skin, and pointed ears like mine."

The flattery had her both blushing and shaking her head at him with pursed lips. "Are you trying to say I'm your dream woman, sir?"

Link hadn't thought about it like that yet, and he suddenly started chuckling, "Well, now that you mention it, it is kind of fitting."

Reaching over, Zelda pushed on his arm while he snickered, shaking her head at him. "So then, lover boy," she picked on him, "what happened?"

Link thought it over. He wasn't sure if the truth would be fitting, but he knew he owed it to her. After all, they were being honest with each other, and Link sighed out his breath. This was the thing he knew she might actually become upset about. "She showed me a lot more than kissing." He admitted the words, not in an ashamed fashion, but just truthfully.

The words had Zelda staring in disbelief. What did he mean by a lot more? Sex? Seeing the look on her face, Link went ahead and elaborated on it, "One thing led to another, she led me, and I followed her into the lair of the female body." His words were meant to be amusing, but he only made them that way just incase she was about to get angry, hoping to soften the blow.

He didn't! Zelda couldn't do anything but stare for a moment or two. She knew all about sex of course, but she wasn't sure what to think knowing Link had experienced it now, and that, maybe, he'd looked at her in that way. Quite honestly it made her heart skip a beat, and she finally managed to snap herself out of it.

"You slept with her?"

Despite the fact that no one else was around, Zelda had whispered the words, albeit somewhat loudly, and Link tried his best not to just start smiling or laughing, feeling she'd take it as if he might've been picking at her. Not to mention, her reactions being so innocently cute aside, he was glad she didn't seem to be angry with him. So holding those thoughts in, for the moment, he just nodded his head, and then added, "Twice."

"What!?"

He couldn't help it anymore, she just sounded so incredulous and surprise that he began laughing, and when he did, Zelda shoved him by his shoulder and said, "Don't laugh at me! It's not funny."

"No, it's just cute," he smirked, "and besides, twice compared to how many times I _could_ have done it, not to mention there were other girls my age around, _a lot_ of other girls, that I did nothing with, who seemed to like me too, isn't that bad if you would have rather I resisted."

That was very true, she had to consider, after all, there really was nothing but women around, and in a way, that explained to her why sometimes he came off as confident instead of shy when around other ladies who paid him so much attention needlessly. But the point he'd made of her maybe wanting him to resist it, as if he might've been thinking she would have preferred if he'd waited for her, made her blush and shake her head vigorously.

"Well, it's not that, I mean, you couldn't remember me, and we didn't even know for sure what happened to one another, so I'm not trying to become high and mighty and say that it's wrong at all," she rushed out quickly, adding, "I'm just," she trailed off, "stunned."

The way she'd stammered and rushed out her words told him she was very embarrassed, and he decided maybe another topic would have made her feel more at ease. "Well," he smiled, "if it makes you feel any better, we can change the subject."

"Oh, well, I don't mind, I mean it's a part of your past when we weren't together, so I'd like to know. I mean, well," she grumbled finally, realizing she was stumbling over her words due to her embarrassment, and she took a slow breath in order to calm herself down. But a curious thought popped into her head and she glanced at him, though the look was a little embarrassed.

"What?" He asked when he saw the look.

"Well, I was curious, what was it like?"

Link considered that for a moment, his brows raising. How could he sum up the experience in words? Looking back, his life having been as a Gerudo, no knowledge of what truly awaited him in his future, he'd thought it was, honestly, an excellent experience, and perhaps some part of him had actually cared deeply for Masita. But the question of his past had always held him back from her, the unknown coming between them, so he knew he didn't love her as completely as a man should love a woman, especially when he was intimate with her.

Now that he knew Mira again, Zelda, he had tried desperately not to think of what that intimate act with her might've been like, but it was there anyway, plaguing the back of his thoughts with a torment that he definitely could have done without. But when he did consider the experience, and consider it with Zelda, he had to really fortify himself from giving any physical signs of it. Which was why he completely denied himself the chance to go into any type of detail, otherwise things would become very awkward between the two of them.

When he didn't answer her right away, she pushed him, "Well?"

Finally, he smiled, looking over at her, taking in his breath, "It was very," he tried to think of the best word to use, "satisfying."

She watched him quietly for a moment. Satisfying? She'd been hoping for a better explanation than that, but she also didn't want details. After all, she couldn't help her curiosity over the entire act just in general itself, and she was also still surprised that he'd already experienced it. She'd told him she wasn't angry at him, and that was the truth, but considering her feelings for him now, she was a little jealous, though she also supposed she had a reason to be.

But perhaps his experiences had been what led his dark half to take what liberties with her that he had. Of course, that was just a very vague theory in itself, but she wondered if it held any merit. While thinking on the situation still made her feel violated, she tried to focus on the fact that she'd thought he'd been Link, and when she'd been under that assumption, she'd actually found a good deal of surprising pleasure in his actions, but she hadn't felt satisfied at all. Actually, she'd felt unsatisfied almost entirely, as if it hadn't been enough.

Maybe she'd just have to experience the whole thing before she understood what he was saying, and realizing the path her thoughts had gone down, she finally replied, "Oh, well at least it's not bad then. Right?"

Link gave her a halfhearted shrug and told her, "No, it's not, though it's hard to explain besides that. But that's why, if you say I seem to kiss well, I know anything about it."

She'd definitely gotten her answer at least. Finally, smiling, she turned from where she was sitting and moved toward him, not so shy she couldn't sit next to him when she knew more of his past with the ladies, though she did still feel a little embarrassment about it. Once she'd settled herself, she reached her hand up and covered her mouth, making a big yawn, then rubbed her eyes. The fatigue they felt had been starting to set in but she was still interested in talking rather than sleeping in that moment.

"So tell me more about the Gerudo and the time you spent there. You never really talked too much about it."

"What do you want to know?" He asked, and once he had, he turned his arm out and put it around her back, settling it there gently, not urging her to sit closer, just making contact with her because he wanted to.

She liked it, making a little smile because of it, and responded to his question, "Well, you said you'd traveled a lot with them."

"We did," he nodded, "mostly just places to go for items we needed, sometimes they were stolen," he added, "and I used to give Nabooru a fuss whenever they did that. But I learned a lot from it, after all, it's helpful to know how to slip things out of someone's pocket without them realizing it."

"How is that helpful?"

"Because someone stole from me once. We went to a ranch called Lon Lon. It was a nice place, quiet, but there was a pub there that had a good deal of people in it when we arrived. I'd gone to the bar counter and left my satchel at my table while I got a drink for Nabooru, and I noticed someone sneaking a rupee out of my bag. They didn't know I saw them, and eventually I just _stole_ it back."

"I can see where that would come in handy then," she smirked, then she turned a bit and rested her head against his shoulder, becoming even more groggy than before. She got quiet, and so did he, both of them looking at the scenery surrounding them. The cliff sides and waterfalls were definitely nice to look upon through the foggy mists, illuminated by the fire before them that they'd set to knock out the chill in the air, and Link put his arm around her side more closely, letting his own eyes shut slowly.

They both drifted into their own thoughts, and after a moment, he heard Zelda asking, "Why did Lyonel come to Engleton? What did he show you?"

Link still hadn't relayed that information to her, having forgotten due to their talks about the gerudo and, well, sex in general, the notion making him smirk a little. Considering it was important information, he opened his eyes to try and stay awake for a little while longer in order to tell her what he knew. "He said he wanted to show me the lake, the guardian that Zora's Domain released to protect it."

"Guardian?"

Link had yawned while she'd asked, and he nodded, "Mmm hmm, some kind of fish or something. I saw it in the water, so the lake's not safe to travel right now. He said to consult Myriad, there's a stone hidden here somewhere, so we can try to figure out how to cross the lake safely."

"Hmm," Zelda drew out, not thinking on it too terribly much in that moment considering her groggy state currently. But another thought did come to mind with the mention of the former royal guard. "Link, do you think he was okay?"

"Well, from what I saw, it looked as if he could handle himself, so I think he was alright. Speaking of that, apparently Arden's known him for a long time, long enough to know who his wife was."

Zelda opened her eyes when he told her those words, and she turned her head and looked up at his face, the expression on her face asking him who it was without words, and so Link told her, "Lyonel was married to Myriad."

The news surprised her. Her lips parted a bit, and she shook her head, "Myriad? That's sad, I mean, knowing she's still alive, but he can't be with her." Zelda lowered her head again, resting it comfortably against Links shoulder, adding, "Poor Lyonel." The thought genuinely made her frown, for the both of them. Myriad because she had to leave her husband behind, and Lyonel because he knew she was still alive but imprisoned somewhere that he couldn't save her from.

"Yeah," Link agreed, yawning once again, feeling sleep really starting to drag him down into oblivion for the time being. But he still managed to say, "Maybe we'll be able to change that for them."

The words made her smile, her own eyes closed now, drawing her hand up to rest against his chest. She'd gotten comfortable, very much so, and she nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder, concentrated on his heart beat beneath her fingertips. She couldn't help in that moment but be glad for their downtime, and the chance to talk this way, wishing almost that the moment could last forever, or at least draw on for a little longer than it would. It was somehow so nice, and she felt the urge to tell him, "I love you," again, before she heard him making a little murmur of nothing really in response, knowing he was drifting off pretty quickly.

Smirking over it, she added the words, "Sleep well, Link," her own mind starting to enter the dream world.

---

Cold granite walls surrounded him in the throne room, silence the music of choice for the time being. Ganondorf wasn't concentrating on elaborate plots or schemes in that moment, simply sitting in wait, using the time to clear his head out and make sure he kept everything in perfect perspective.

One ankle crossed above the opposite knee, his fist beneath his jaw, elbow resting on the arm of the throne, the silence he'd been wading in was broken by the opening of the door. He didn't respond to it, knew whom was coming to see him, and it wasn't Arden. Slowly, finally, his black eyes opened, spotting one of Arden's higher commanding officers entering the throne room, and reaching the foot of the steps the throne was settled upon, he dropped down to a knee before his king in the proper show of respect.

Seeing this, Ganondorf told the man, "Rise up, tell me your news."

Doing as his king had commanded, the soldier stood back up straight, and spoke, "Arden left our contingency to head on alone two nights ago. He said he would be able to move faster tracking Lyonel by himself. The fugitive was heading toward Lake Hylia the last we were with Arden. Also, there have been rumors heard of a revolt forming against you, your majesty. Arden said to waylay this to you along with his intents to return in a day with the fugitive in tow."

Ganondorf didn't make an outward response, but he scoffed inwardly. A revolt? How...cutely futile. His inner thoughts weren't expressed to the soldier before him though, Instead, he simply asked the soldier, "Is this all?"

"That I was given, yes, my liege."

"Good, then you may with the command to gather together a group of your strongest men. I want them ready within a day's time. Be selective, bring those you think may not pass my expectations as well, so that I may also chose whom is the most worthy."

The soldier looked slightly confused, and he asked, "May I ask the purpose so I can better select?"

"Yes," Ganondorf told him idly, then explained, "I wish to bestow a gift to my strongest soldiers, one which I do not wish the unworthy receiving. A gift to make you...even stronger," he said simply, feeling that did the explanation justice. "I realize you may feel a bit of pressure when it comes to fitting my tastes since your captain isn't present, but don't let that bother you. Do you think you can perform this task for me?"

The soldier nodded his head, taking in a breath. "I shall have them gathered tomorrow then. In the courtyard?"

"No, bring them to the throne room. Once I've made my final selections, you'll be gifted, and I wouldn't want the rest of my men to feel left out."

"Very well, your majesty," the man replied, bowing before his king once again before he turned to leave.

The door shut out sound once again, leaving Ganondorf in the silence he'd chosen to preoccupy himself with once more. Once this happened, he considered the news he'd just received, including what Arden had done. Somehow, he couldn't blame the captain for taking matters into his own hands, but depending upon the status of his return to the palace would sway Ganondorf in his final decision over the matter. After all, these soldiers worked too slowly for his tastes.

It was time to grant them a little taste of power.


	30. Complicated

_Chapter 29 - Complicated_

_I want nothing to take you away from me..._

_**Zelda!**_

_We can still be together..._

_No, wait, someone's calling me, I have to go..._

_**Zelda, please, come back!**_

_Don't you want to be with me?_

She was torn between going to her parents, and staying with Link, and with those last words spoken in her dream, his hair turned white and his eyes red. The visions caused her own violet blue eyes to open swiftly, her head lifting, still laying against Link's side where she'd been before, but it was daytime now. Early afternoon if the sun's low position was any indication, still foggy in the chasm however even though the day had made it brighter than the nighttime had allowed.

Zelda took in a deep breath and looked up at Link's face, seeing he was still, well, comatose for the moment. She was thankful for that, glad she hadn't made sounds in her sleep to rouse him.

Slowly, she sat up, trying not to disturb him like she remembered doing last time, all the while considering the dream she'd just had. Torn between her parents and Link this time, she managed to get her arm out from beneath him, and she sighed softly, slowly, closing her eyes. He'd turned to Dark Link at the very end of the dream, and that had scared her. She knew there was no possible way she wanted to be with that hideous mimicry, and supposed that the dream was just a reflection of events that had happened the evening before.

As she sat there, considering this, Link didn't move one bit, and she knew they had both been exhausted, especially to sleep in so long as they had. So the sleep was definitely appreciated, and aside from her dream, she knew she'd rested well. But her thoughts went back to that aspect of her sleep and the evening beforehand.

She thought about how she and Link had both expressed their feelings for one another. Hearing him say how much he loved her had made her happier than she'd ever been. She was glad that he did not only because it meant she hadn't been alone in her affections, but also because she could express them to him freely without worrying that he wouldn't reciprocate. The consideration made her smile, looking back at him while he slept so soundly.

The dream had left a somewhat sour taste in her mouth though. She'd been torn during the events of it to stay with Link or to go to Hyrule Palace where she was being called off to. Then, when she'd tried to go to her parents beckoning her, Link had changed into that dark shadow of his evil half and she'd woken up. It made her sigh softly, the fact that the events of the evening before were clouding her sight.

Somewhere in her mind, she knew she was awaiting more light to be shed onto the dream of her parents calling out to her, some new element to arise, saying there was more to it than had first appeared, to help her figure out if she were simply longing to go back home, to her birth place, or if she were actually missing something important. But this dream had been laced with images of the violation that had taken place with her, preventing her from being able to see more.

She knew it was because she was worried, concerned that she would eventually have to let her love for Link go, or even vice versa, in order to accomplish her goals, so she had to clear her mind of it and believe that all would fall into place as it should. Only then would she be able to see more into the recurring dream of her parents beckoning to her to find out what it truly meant.

Myriad might be able to help as well, she considered, and with that notion, she pushed herself up from the warmth of the blankets, shivering because of the chill in the air. The days were growing colder, and she expected to see snow sometime soon. With those thoughts in mind, she considered she would have to get a cloak of her own due to the necessity of warmer rides.

Having restarted the fire to keep Link warm while she was up, as well as to warm herself and cook them something saying they had anything to cook, she made it her first errand of business to take the dress that Kiama had gifted her with the evening before and put it on, followed by typing the upper half of her hair back behind her head in order to keep it out of her way.

The dress Kiama gave her was a deep burgundy color, very pretty, with a scoop neck and long sleeves, nicely warm, and it showed off her amulet perfectly. All things considered, Zelda didn't mind hiding the necklace anymore, at least not for now. Before, she understood the reason, she'd been a child and hadn't known her importance in life, and if the wrong eyes spotted it, that could cause trouble. On the same token, it might have caused them trouble now, but for the moment, she couldn't bring herself to take it off.

Zelda tied the back strings of the garment that lined the bodice, and then took a bit of food out of the satchel on Frosts's saddle, of which they had little left, before she started fixing it up to be eaten. One thing they did have a good bit of was honey tea, and that made her smile. Honey tea was her favorite, so she decided to make some, knowing their stay in the area wouldn't last too much longer, but she at least wanted to enjoy a little bit of something good before they moved on.

Once the tea was made and the food was ready, she sipped from her cup and moved over to Link, deciding maybe she should go ahead and wake him. Kneeling, she leaned in and whispered his name, trying not to snicker too much when he waved his hand like he might've been swatting at a fly. Still, smiling, she wondered if she should kiss him, and deciding it couldn't hurt anything, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his cheek, then said his name again.

When he still didn't wake up, she sighed softly. Time to try the lips, she supposed, and she moved down to press hers against them. When she moved, and almost reached them, he leaned up and kissed her before she could even blink, her eyes going wide with the startle he'd caused by proving he was actually awake. The brief wake up kiss was just that, brief, and as it broke, she sat back and stared at his face for a moment to see that he was grinning.

"You were awake!"

He snickered softly, opening his eyes to look at her finally, replying, "Since you said my name and I waved my hand because I didn't want to get up, yeah."

"You're so immature!"

"Hey, I can't help I wanted to see if you'd kiss me or not. Just thought I would surprise you."

"Oh!," she drew out in frustration, sitting back, though she wasn't really angry at him, just thought he was too playful for his own good sometimes, though she really wouldn't have changed that about him considering it made things much more interesting for her.

He snickered as she sat back and turned, grabbing a plate and a cup for him which she set onto his lap. "There, Mr. Trickster, some breakfast."

"Thanks," he smirked, reaching for the cup first since he was thirsty. There was bread and some fruit on the plate, nothing really cooked, but he knew it was all they had for the moment, considering he may have to do some hunting before they ran out completely. While he considered that, he also remembered what Lyonel told him about the Myriad Stone being located within the falls, and that he should find it as soon as possible in order to ask her about the things Lyonel had said.

As he thought it all over, chewing up his last bite of bread, he set his plate to the side and washed his food down with more of the warm honey tea she'd served, then stood in order to get his chainmail and green jerkin on, along with his hat. The task of getting dressed made him notice that Zelda was wearing an outfit he'd never seen before, and guessed was the gift that Kiama had given her. The shade of deep red looked particularly good on her somehow, and the dress itself was very becoming indeed.

It was a slender style of dress and fit her body perfectly from the looks of it, and the one thing he did notice was that it had a scoop neck collar, showing off her amulet perfectly. Once he was done putting his own clothing back on completely, buckling his harnesses and his belt around his waist, he stood and walked over to her while she'd been rolling up the blankets in order to place them back on the horses again.

Hearing him coming, Zelda turned around from where she'd been standing next to Epona after loading some of their belongings onto her, and she smiled, hearing him asking her, "Do you think it's a good idea to let everyone see that?"

She looked down at the necklace she wore, and then back at him. "Well," she replied, "I'd thought of that, and I figured that it wouldn't hurt for now, but if it starts causing trouble, I can always hide it in my belt pouch."

Nodding his head, Link let her turn to walk over to Frost, but then he changed his mind. Reaching out, he hooked his fingers into the back of her belt and she blinked when he did, looking back as he tugged her toward himself, and as she came closer, about to ask him what he was doing, she found her back against his front and her lips covered by his own in a gentle kiss.

The spontaneous action made her breathless. As he kissed her, slowly moved his arms up around her sides to hold there, she let her eyes close and returned the kiss just as gently, feeling the heat in her cheeks lighting her skin again. The kiss was slow and very sweet, the two of them letting it sweep their thoughts away for several long moments, until finally it broke, and Zelda rested her forehead against his cheek.

"What was that for?," she asked him.

"Just because I love you," he said without mincing his words, "and I wanted to."

He felt her fingertips brushing across his opposite cheek, and he smiled, reaching for her hand in order to hold it there. As he did, just enjoying the moment with her, he heard some scuffling off in the trees near them, close to one of the pools of water. It broke through their moment of peaceful silence and Link looked back to the direction it'd come from with narrowed brows.

Zelda, having heard it too, stayed silent, and she stood up straight, looking around him. Both of them scanned the surrounding area with their eyes for the sound they'd just heard, and Link pulled his arms from around Zelda so he could turn to see better. When he did, he heard the shuffling again, and they finally detected the source of the sound with their eyes.

Something came out of the ground, some kind of creature with leaves covering it's head, it's eyes clear and white, and on its face was a long mouth sporting an O shape at the end which it raised up to point at them.

Seeing this, Link reached up and took his shield from his back, hearing a sudden spitting sound as the creature shot a rock at him. Flying swiftly, the rock smacked Link in his side before he could draw his shield up, and he cringed.

"Ow," came his response to the stinging pain it had left there, and he watched as the creature snuck back into the dirt again to hide. Seeing this, he became annoyed, "You little sneaky pain in the..."

Zelda turned when this happened, knowing that Link was alright, just irritated as she would have been, but she suggested, "Come on, let's go before more of these things come along."

"Right," Link said in response, and as she walked on to get on Frost's back, Link turned around himself to take Epona's saddle. When his back was turned, the creature, called an Octorok, stuck it's head above the ground again, and Link took his shield from his arm. At the same time, the small monster shot another rock at him, and he swung his shield around to the side without looking, turning with it, his brows narrowed in annoyance.

The rock pinged against the shield just as Zelda heard the spitting sound and looked back, seeing the rock being deflected by Link's shield and flying straight back toward the Octorok swiftly. The rock smacked the creature directly in the forehead, and knocked it out cold. Seeing it falling back, Link grinned, then put his shield on his back again, dusting his hands off. Turning around, he gave Zelda a triumphant grin, and she chuckled softly over it.

Clapping her hands, she told him, "Bravo, well performed!"

"Thank you," he bowed dramatically, reaching for Epona again in order to mount her. Once on her back, seeing Zelda getting on Frost just a moment later, he goaded his horse over to hers and stopped next to her. With mirth they'd shared in the previous moment, he mentioned, "We need to look for that Myriad Stone. I'd like to locate it so I can ask her something else Lyonel said besides the guardian."

Nodding her head, Zelda asked, "What's that?"

"Well," Link started, "he told me he was heading to join a revolt against Ganondorf. He wouldn't give me the location himself though, and I think it's because he knew that Arden was somewhere close by, but he said he'd told Myriad. I'd like to see where it's located incase we ever need to find him again."

"Hm," Zelda considered aloud, then she told him, "I can locate it now."

"How's that?"

"Just wait," she replied, lifting her hand up before her face and pressing two fingers over her brow, her eyes closing. As she concentrated, she used her magical abilities to sense any magical devices in the area, and when nothing came to her, she tried to widen her search, hoping it was fairly close to them, otherwise they would have to roam to a different location in order to find it properly since she could only search over a certain distance.

As Link watched, he noticed her hand was glowing slightly with a blue color, and he became curious over it all. Within her mind, however, Zelda finally sensed the stone, te path leading her along through a chasm and into a waterfall, able to see the pedestal on the plain of her mind like it was the only thing that existed, and she opened her eyes, glancing ahead before she pointed, "There's a grove in that direction where a waterfall pours. The stone is hidden within a grotto behind it."

Impressed by her senses, he nodded his head and smiled at her, then took the reigns of his horse. "Then let's go to the grotto," he told her, wondering how she'd done that, but he supposed she had some kind of ability learned from Impa that allowed her to see the location of such objects. Riding on ahead with her, letting her lead, they rounded the corner of a chasm and headed directly east almost. It was easy to tell due to the position of the sun, being directly before them, though in the fog of the Misty Falls, it looked more like a bright blur than a sun, but it also told them that the way to exit to Lake Hylia was ahead of them by about a hundred yards or a little more.

But they ignored that exit for now, as Zelda turned and headed toward the location she'd been aiming for all along. She stopped near the waterfall she'd been speaking of which she'd seen while sensing the stone, trotting through a shallow gorge in order to reach it, and dismounted Frost on the other side.

Link followed, heading with her toward the wall of the gorge they were wading through, the waterfall near them trickling across several rocks that jutted out of the wall. It was a much larger waterfall than the others, starting at what was probably more than a hundred feet up, making the sound of its crashing water roar loudly.

"Behind this fall?"

"Yes," Zelda nodded, working her way onto a rock ledge that formed from the wall naturally, and she looked back at him, adding, "Follow this ledge behind it."

Once Link looked when she pointed, he saw the entrance to the grotto she'd been speaking of. He stepped along behind her across the rocks carefully, seeing she was right, and that it led safely around the falls and in behind them.

They walked inside the hidden entrance, the grotto looking to be some type of meeting place for soldiers perhaps, since there were old swords and a few shields laying here and there, as well as a skull or two. Standing in the center of the room however was the white stone they'd been searching out, perched upon the same type of pedestal that the rest throughout Hyrule had been.

"I wonder what this place was used for," Link commented as Zelda headed over to it.

Shrugging her shoulders, she told him, "Perhaps it was a place used to store munitions for Hyrule's soldiers. Maybe they were attacked, and that's where the corpses came from. But that helmet has the same symbol as my necklace, so it was more than likely before our time when it happened."

Seeing the helmet laying on the floor near him, Link leaned down and lifted it up, blowing the dirt from the silver, the symbol most certain etched into the metal as plain as day. "Maybe you're right," he told her in response, "that's interesting."

Zelda had to agree, watching him setting the helmet back down where he'd gotten it from after overlooking it. She found anything from the time of her mother and father's rule to be curious, especially since, once she wanted to follow in their footsteps as closely as possible. She remembered hearing stories all of her life from people about how things had been so good under Hadinaru and Nissandra's rule, comparing then to now, and if they had such a positive effect on their people, then she wanted to keep their torch burning if it were possible.

But for now, they needed to talk to Myriad, and so Zelda looked back at the softly glowing stone. Reaching out, she placed her hand upon it and initiated contact with Sage of Light.

The grotto grew darker around them as Myriad responded to the touch, speaking, "My Princess, it is good to hear from you again. I trust that you and Link have made your way safely thus far?"

Link and Zelda exchanged a look as Link headed over to her in order to speak with the sage as well. Once he had, Zelda lifted her brows, and Link knew what that look was for. She wouldn't have exactly used the word safe. "Well," Zelda replied, "I wouldn't say safely, but we are well, and have made some new friends. We're now at Misty Falls, about to reach Lake Hylia."

"I've sensed as much, and I must commend you for finding this stone. I did not place it in the open due to the Battle of Misty Falls which took place five years before your birth. The stone was meant to serve our allies, and not the enemy."

Link and Zelda both looked a little surprised, though they'd guessed the grotto had been used as such, and Link commented back to her, "I didn't know there'd been a battle here."

"Yes, it is an overshadowed tale due to Dragmire's treachery. Since Misty Falls is the quickest, and safest route into Lake Hylia from Hyrule's fields and back, forces from the east fought against Hyrule for control of it in order to enter Hyrule's lands unchecked. I did not wish the enemy to find it and use it to contact the Palace."

"Then," Link began, "these stones were originally set up for an entirely different purpose initially?"

"Yes. Being the Sage of Light, as well one of Hyrule's Royal Advisor's, I set these stones up in various positions to keep Hyrule united with it's people, to offer them advice and knowledge when they needed it. The people were able to contact the other Sages besides myself as well in order to do this, however, over time, as Dragmire depleted the Sage's powers from the temples of Hyrule, I became the last of them all, though now there is Princess Zelda until more find their calling."

"So, I could use one to contact Zelda if I needed to?" Link asked the question curiously, glancing at her to see she looked as if the possibility surprised her.

"Yes, if she has developed her telepathic abilities to satisfaction, then she would be able to hear you through the stones as well as I." Hearing this, Zelda blinked her eyes and glanced at Link, shrugging a shoulder as if she wasn't sure she'd done her training with her abilities well enough for that or not, though she had the feeling it was very possible.

Her thoughts were interrupted however whenever Myriad commenced with her speaking. "But, we should continue on. I sense more on your minds than just talk of stories long past."

"You're right," Zelda began, getting her mind off of the stones for now, "we came to ask you about a revolt, one that Lyonel mentioned to Link. He said you know the location, and we're curious over it because he told you where it was."

Link went on once Zelda had finished, "He also said that there's a guardian the Zora's unleashed in order to protect their domain, and that traveling across the lake would be dangerous. He told me we should ask you for guidance over how to proceed."

Listening to them both, Myriad replied, "Yes, I've heard from Lyonel twice in the past few days. The first talk was a brief one, he was being followed by Ganondorf's men and could spare no time, but the second was more specific.

"He informed me that the revolt rose up because several believed the Sage's had turned their back's on Hyrule, instead of the truth, which was the falsity of the king's lineage, due to uncertainty stemming from Dragmire's manipulations. Once you woke me, they knew the truth due to the stones' return to life, and decided to gather together at the northern most peak of Lake Hylia, where there rests another set of chasms like those that fill the Misty Falls. He is heading there in order to lead it due to his experience as a commander."

Hearing the news, Zelda looked to the side in thought, considering that if this were true, there were many who would already know exactly who she was perhaps. So she asked, "Did he tell you how many had joined the revolt?"

"No, but he did say that some who have spoken of joining it are young, perhaps even too young to remember everything clearly. Due to this, it may make the group more untrusting, as well as aggressive, to outsiders until things can be organized. For this reason, I suggest you avoid any contact with them until your objectives set in Lake Hylia can be accomplished."

Link nodded his head in understanding, considering it made sense. Many of the members, if they were younger, would be highly patriotic and unseasoned, making them somewhat dangerous, especially if they were too young to remember the trouble Dragmire had really caused for everyone. They would more than likely be overzealous and consider themselves completely justified without consideration before action.

This explained now, Link then asked, "Then what about the Zora's? What should we do about the guardian?"

"Zora's Domain is shrouded in great mystery. They are a proud people, almost solely worshiping the goddess Nayru, and they are protective of their domain. The guardian they've unleashed will no doubt attack any intruders to their domain on sight, and likewise, if the guardian is destroyed, they may not appreciate the attack on their defenses."

It sounded like quite a mess to Link, considering that it was almost as if they just had to take their chances, looking at Zelda when she spoke.

"It sounds as if the guardian is the one who needs to be persuaded that we mean no harm, and not the Zora," Zelda suggested.

"You would be correct," Myriad agreed. "Until you manage to reach Zora's Domain, the chances are unlikely that you will be able to enter the Temple of Water safely, which makes crossing Lake Hylia a necessity before you can advance any further."

Hearing that caused them to either groan, in Link's case, or purse their lips, in Zelda's. There was always something, wasn't there? Sighing, Link simply asked the obvious. "So how do we persuade this guardian to leave us in peace?"

"This is something I cannot tell you since I have little knowledge of this guardian," Myriad responded, "I am afraid you will have to overcome it on your own. But I am sure you will both find the answer with relative ease if you keep an open mind. Sometimes the most complicated problems carry the simplest solutions."

Listening to her, they both thanked her for the belief in their abilities, and Link said, "Well, then I suppose we will speak again soon, my lady."

"Yes, we shall, Link."

With a nod of his head, he was about to turn and leave with Zelda, but he then heard Myriad speaking once more, which made him stop, glancing at the stone.

"Zelda, I sense further trouble on your mind."

Link looked at Zelda, her hand still on the stone, and he watched her nod. Zelda took a deep breath, trying to figure out the best way to put it. She didn't want to speak of everything in front of Link because she felt he might worry, but she knew she didn't have any other means of getting her point across unless she did so.

"Yes, and I'm sorry to bother you with such a personal issue. But I've been having recurring dreams, about my parents, beckoning to me from Hyrule's Palace. Last night, I had the dream again, but other things that have happened recently clouded my sight. I believe the dream is just a calling for me to do what I need to. However, I get the strangest sense there's more involved than that. I was curious if you could tell me anything about this."

"I see," came Myriad's reply of understanding. "I believe that a person's dreams and foresight often mirror what's in their soul, presented to them in a manner they can understand when combined with outside forces trying to show them the truth. There is little way to know what the true meaning behind the dream is, however, if you feel certain there's something more there which you haven't seen or figured out yet, then you must trust that instinct. Clear your mind, and when you are calm and peaceful, the answers will come to you."

With a sigh of relief, the answer helping Zelda put her curiosities and worries to rest for the most part, she nodded her head, "Thank you, I'll do my best. And might I relay my sorrows?"

Myriad sounded a slight bit curious when she asked, "Over what, my princess?"

"Over Lyonel. We found out that you were married. I just wanted to say that I'm terribly sorry, in a way, I feel as if this may be our fault."

Myriad was silent for only a brief moment, but when she spoke again, her voice was filled with fondness. "Yes, Lyonel is my husband. But this is in no way your fault. I met Lyonel through the very stone you touch now. He was one of the soldiers in the calvary of knights who fought for the falls. Eventually, he was promoted to commander when several of their captains were slain, and we had to commune on many an occasion to keep information steady between Hyrule and Misty Falls. I did not meet him in person until his return, but I found myself struck by his nobility and good nature. He will be a sure friend to you throughout your struggles, there for you where I cannot be."

They both smiled, and Link told her, "You're here for us plenty, my lady, and we're appreciative." Link would have told her a warning about having to leave Lyonel to resolve some unfinished business with Arden, and being uncertain of the outcome, but he didn't want to trouble her with the matter that her husband, on some tragic occasion, might have been killed, wanting to believe that Lyonel was still alive.

Zelda broke through his thoughts in that moment anyway, adding, "Yes, we would be lost without your help."

"You are welcome, my lady." Myriad's voice sounded somewhat solemn and humble, though completely grateful to them both for their appreciation. "Now go with Link, and head to Lake Hylia. We will convene again soon."

Zelda smiled, having learned much from the conversation they'd had that day, and as she removed her hand from the stone, she glanced over at Link and asked him about what she'd had to get Myriad's advice about, "I didn't worry you, did I?"

"No," he shook his head, allowing her to walk toward him. When she got close enough, he took her hand and added, "I know if it's something bad, you'll tell me about it. So, are you ready?"

She nodded, looking about the grotto used for the battle that had taken place there so long ago, and then told him, "I'm ready. I only hope we can figure out how to convince this guardian we mean the Zora's no harm since fighting him won't do us any good."

"I agree," Link grumbled out, not too worried about figuring a puzzle out, but still irritated at how things were never easy nonetheless. Moving with her toward the entrance while he considered this, he heard a sound outside, followed by the whinny of horses, and realized just how difficult in that moment that things could be.

He moved outside across the rock ledge quickly with Zelda behind him, seeing a man across from them with their horses, having mounted Frost, Epona's reigns in his hands. Moving out onto the ledge caused the man to notice them. He was younger, perhaps about their age, with short cropped black hair and vivid blue eyes, and he gasped, turning on Frost and kicking his legs into the animal's sides to get him going, stealing the horses.

"**Hey**!," Link called out angrily, then he turned to Zelda and took her hand, moving along with her so they could climb down from the rocky ledge and take off after him.

But it was no use. Running out into the center of the chasm, the young man was already too far ahead to be caught up to, and Link kicked his foot into the dirt with his frustration. Even though the man was heading in the direction they were going, it would take them much longer to reach their destination now without their horses, and there was no telling where he was heading exactly anyway.

Unless they took the time out to track.

With a sigh, Zelda said, "I wish he had mounted Epona. She probably would have thrown him."

"That would have been nice. I can't wait to see how disappointed he's going to be whenever he finds out she won't just let anyone ride her."

Grumbling, Zelda shook her head and began to walk. "Well, let's go, maybe we can follow his tracks and come across him somewhere. But if we find him, you're going to have to hold me back, because I would like the chance to throttle him."

"Pfft," Link scoffed in return, moving in behind her, "Why would I hold you back? I'd like to let you."

It was then that they heard a spitting sound, and a rock flew through the air, which Link narrowly avoided hitting him in the side of his head, standing up and looking back to see a few of those pesky creatures from before had crept up onto them. Rolling his eyes with a heavy sigh of breath, Link took off running, taking Zelda's arm as he went, adding the words, "I'd _really_ like to let you."


	31. Simple Solution

_Chapter 30 - Simple Solution_

The tracks of their horses led towards the edge of the chasm, but Link and Zelda's walk hadn't been a peaceful one. They'd come across more of those Octorok's on their way, and each one became an irritating pain that had Link feeling as if he wanted to pull his hair out. Sometimes, however, they came across stops in the horse's tracks that could have meant the man who'd stolen their animals had been slowed down due to the interference of the monsters, and Link could only hope that was the case, though he didn't hope that their horses had been hit by the rocks since they tended to be shot from the Octorok's mouths pretty hard.

At one point, they noticed that there were hand prints in the sandy ground, and from the looks of it, while Link inspected the trails, the man had been thrown only to remount and take off again.

The fog also began to grow less and less dense as they went and the sun became brighter toward the end of the chasm they were wondering through. Even still, a cool breeze blowing despite the sun shining down from the clear sky told it was going to be a cold day.

Finally, the two found themselves stepping out of the tall rock walls and onto the shores of Lake Hylia. The waters reached out for almost as far as the eye could see, distant mountains looking tiny from their point of view as they gazed across the blue surface in the light of day, and the wind picked up about the two of them, shifting their hair and clothing around slightly.

Even more importantly, standing across from them was Epona, at the edge of the lake idly munching on a bit of grass she'd pulled up from the ground.

Link and Zelda went running toward the horse, and Link checked her for marks that said she'd been hit by rocks so he could fix them, but thankfully, she was in good condition. Maybe she escaped the man's clutches, and he'd left her behind because she was so temperamental. The thought made Link smirk as he brushed her nose.

"Well, at least we've gotten one of them back," he commented, then noticed something, "though, she's missing a satchel."

Link rolled his eyes over the discovery, looking over at Zelda who'd been watching him straighten his horse out with a grumble over the news given.

Despite the news that though they'd found Epona again, they'd still been stolen from once more, Zelda couldn't help but stare across the body of water in awe. She'd always wanted to come to Lake Hylia, and not even the trouble they were being grieved with could ruin it for her. It was a gorgeous sight, one she knew she would never forget, and she was so consumed by it, she didn't realize that Link was just watching her now.

It was peaceful where they stood, and while Zelda was enamored with the lake, Link was enamored with her. She looked beautiful, just staring out across the waters, the wind whipping through her bronzed blonde hair. He hadn't forgotten that, despite their quest, Zelda was actually very excited about going to Lake Hylia, and seeing her reaction was completely worth all of the grief they'd gone through to get there.

"It's beautiful."

Zelda had said the words without even realizing it, and Link looked back out again to take in his surroundings once more so she wouldn't catch him staring at her, not that he would've minded it. Though not a sea, the lake was large enough that it generated a few small waves, and the shore was a bit sandy, grains of tall grass here and there blowing in the breeze. The lake seemed to be almost completely surrounded by tall cliffs as well, telling them exactly why Misty Falls was the best and easiest way to get from Hyrule's fields to the huge body of water.

The sand they stood in itself showed proof of more hoof prints as well, leading off to the left of the chasm they'd come out of, and Link followed the prints with his blue eyes until he traced them up the shore and toward a single home off in the distance. It was settled on stilts probably for flooding during storms, as well as tides maybe, and there were three docks stretching out into the water sitting in front of it with boats settled against some of them, their sails down currently.

"Look," he told her, "up that way."

Pointing, Zelda turned her head to glance in the direction his hand showed her, and she could see the home as well, and what's more, she could see Frost outside of it. Looking back at Link, she told him, "Well, at least we found them both again, and probably your missing satchel as well."

He nodded, moving toward the home with her, carrying Epona's reigns in his hand, the horse following in behind him without any problem whatsoever, and as he approached, he saw that some of the satchels were missing from Frost's saddles too. Link and Zelda looked annoyed when they realized this, and Link moved toward the steps of the house located at its front side, leaving Epona tethered next to her companion for the time being.

As he rounded the corner with Zelda behind him, he saw the man who'd stolen their horses settled in the sand next to the home with their satchels, going through their things, tossing to the side what he apparently didn't want to keep until he came across a flute which he looked over curiously.

While he inspected the item, he saw Link's shadow and happened a glance back as Link approached him, and seeing Link, he gasped and pushed himself up as if to run away again, dropping the flute in the process, but Link grabbed and tackled him onto his stomach, trying to keep him from running away.

Zelda rushed over and she bent down to help Link by grabbing the young man's arm, the both of them pulling him back up. He appeared to be more scared than just mean however, turning and pushing Zelda away from himself first with a hard shove since he knew he was bigger and stronger, and she'd be then easiest to get rid of so he could escape them. The push caused her to stumble backwards and land on her backside with a grunt and a cringe.

When that happened, Link couldn't help himself, and he retaliated, grabbing the man's shoulders and swiping his fist across his jaw. Normally Link wasn't so prone to acts of violence like that, but seeing the man shove Zelda just made him respond with the need prove that he didn't want her so much as even pushed around. He knew what he'd done though when the guy landed on his own back about five feet away from where he'd shoved Zelda to, grunting loudly, and it irritated Link that he'd lost that kind of control, no matter if the guy deserved it or not.

"Ow!," the young man groaned out loudly, "Okay! I give! Just don't do that again! You hit hard!"

Rolling his eyes with a grumble, Link moved to Zelda and helped her up, saw the look she was giving him which was a bit surprised at his actions. Link shrugged over it somewhat sheepishly, and she just shook her head as if to let it go, thinking it was somehow flattering anyway considering he'd just hit the guy because she'd been shoved. When the man began to say the words he had, she turned her glance down to him and narrowed her brows.

"Well it serves you right, stealing people's horses and going through their things. You really should be ashamed of yourself."

Watching as he sat up, still rubbing his jaw, he replied to her, "I'm sorry, lady! I'm not really a thief, honest! Maybe I did deserve it, but I only stole them because the re–," he stopped himself, "I mean, rupees are tight and my grandmother needs the money."

Hearing him stop himself like he had, Link and Zelda shared a glance, feeling as if he'd been about to say 'the revolt', then they both reached out and offered the young man their hands in order to help him up. He peered up at them in confusion when they did, then decided to just accept their help even if he thought it was strange that they would offer it to him, finally reaching to let them pull him to.

Once he was on his own two feet again before them both, Link asked, "What were you _really_ going to say?"

"Nothing!," he grumbled loudly, also swiftly as if to prove it without a doubt, continuing on, "Not a thing, honest. Look, don't tell my grandmother about this, alright? She's asleep right now, and she'd have my backside if she found out I stole horses. I mean, you caught me, so there's no harm, right?"

Zelda looked over at the home, and then at the young man again and crossed her arms over her chest in consideration. Link put a hand on his hip, both of them staring at him as if they didn't believe him, or weren't sure they should just let him get away with it that easily.

Seeing their looks, he cringed and then shook his head, "Oh come on!"

Link rolled his eyes, and Zelda sighed. Before they could really consider it however, they heard the door to the front of the home opening and a voice calling out, "Cody! Where are you at, young man?"

Cody fidgeted a bit at the sound of the voice calling him, then he took off between the two that he'd attempted to steal from, and turning around, Link and Zelda watched him heading toward a woman who'd come out onto the front porch of her home. She had a cane and long grey hair that was a good bit curly, and Link asked Zelda when they were alone again, "Should we tell her?"

Zelda lifted her brows in consideration over the whole thing, then she said, "Well, we _did_ find our horses. So I don't see the harm in keeping it a secret. Though," she looked down at their things strewn about, "with as loud as he is," she started as she began leaning over to grab and pack them back into the satchels, "I hope she's hard of hearing otherwise _he_ just got himself into trouble."

Link smirked as he leaned down and helped her re-pack their things once again, and he listened in on the conversation between Cody and his grandmother as he asked her, "What's wrong, Grandma? Did you wake up?"

"I heard you yelling out here, now what were you yelling about? And why do I hear horses?"

"Oh, well," Cody started, "um," he looked over at Link and Zelda, then said, "we have visitors. They just came riding through."

The older woman seemed highly surprised, as well as happy over the news. "Oh really!? Where?"

Link stood up with the two packed satchels and Zelda followed him as they began walking toward the front porch. Cody was helping his grandmother to the steps while they walked over, and once he'd gotten her there, he said, "Right here. I er," he paused, "I don't know their names yet though."

Deciding to, of course, be kind to the old woman, Link reached out his hand and said, "I'm Link, and this is Zelda. And you are?"

The old woman smiled, staring off into space it seemed, and she reached out her hand in a bad direction and said, "I'm Lana, pleased to meet you, Link and Zelda."

Confused for just a moment over the woman's bad sense of direction, Link glanced at Cody who pointed to his eyes behind the woman, suggesting she was either blind or had trouble seeing, and Link nodded, then turned his hand a bit and took hers to shake it. As he did so, he replied, "Likewise."

Zelda in turn took her hand to shake in greeting, and once she had, she complimented her, "You have a very lovely home, ma'am."

"Call me Lana, or Grandma, everyone else does," the old lady chuckled a bit, "and thank you. It's nice to get visitors after such a long time, especially ones who are so kind."

Zelda lowered her hand after the woman had said this, and she heard Link asking what she'd been thinking. "Why haven't you gotten visitors in a while?"

"Oh, haven't you heard?" Lana glanced in Zelda's direction, but not quite _in_ her direction. "Fish tales these days about a huge monster in Lake Hylia. No one comes by to fish in the lake anymore, and we can't either, which has been hard on us since we made our living fishing. We have to stick to the shallows, and the pickings are slim, really only enough to feed us and nothing else."

Link gave Zelda a somewhat knowing look, and then he replied, "Would you believe it if I said we were looking for a boat in order to cross the lake?"

Cody gave them both a glance that suggested they were crazy while Lana just smiled and chuckled softly, "Well I don't see why not. I haven't seen anything to be afraid of myself!" Making a sweet laugh, the reason obvious why she hadn't seen anything since her vision was fairly nonexistent, she turned to walk to a chair on the porch which she apparently knew the location of, but Cody had to rush to pull a small table out of her way as she went over to it before she tripped over it and fell.

Once she'd settled herself in the chair, Lana sighed as if she might've been winded from the exertion of sitting down after standing for the amount of time she had, and she set her cane next to herself while she mused aloud, "We have quite a few boats, docked in disuse, you're welcome to borrow one if you're going to bring it back. But sadly I'd have to ask you to pay for it if you're not, since rupees are tight and all."

"That's completely fair," Zelda replied, adding, "in fact, I'd rather pay you to borrow it anyway. Not to mention your grandson offered to care for our horses while we were gone."

"Did he!? Well, he is a very kind boy," she chuckled, while Cody gave them both an incredulous look.

Zelda just smiled at him, and then replied, "That he is, and I'm sure he'd like the task, right Link?"

Link wasn't completely sure over that stipulation, but he agreed anyway, just to keep Lana from thinking something fishy was going on, "Yes, I'm _very_ certain he would," Link told them with a somewhat bland tone to his voice, giving Cody a stern glance that said his words had a double meaning, which made the kid flinch.

"Uh, Grandma, I'll be back, I need to go make sure I tethered the horses tightly enough for them."

"See," Lana replied, "he'll do a fine job watching them for you. Go on, Cody."

Nodding his head, Cody took off down the front porch steps and he nodded his head at the Link and Zelda to follow him without words. Once he had, stopping a short ways from the house, they heard Grandma talking as if Link and Zelda might've still been standing there, and they glanced back, but Cody got their attentions, his voice somewhat quiet.

"Don't worry, she talks to people all the time when they're not around. Just find a spot to come in on the conversation later. But listen," he lifted his hands, "are you two insane?"

Both of them pursed their lips at Cody when he asked, as if they might've been insulted. When they did, he sighed and rolled his eyes, asking them something else, "Also, how can you trust me? I tried to steal your horses, you know I could try it again, don't you?"

Link had been thinking that himself, and he looked at Zelda to see what she would say as she began speaking. "Well, Cody, you _did_ cause us a good bit of grief, so I think the least you could do is look after them while we're gone. Not to mention, if you don't, we'll tell your grandmother what you tried to do. She seems to have good hearing anyway, so she'll notice if the horses are gone by the time we return."

That made sense to Link, so he finally agreed with it completely, looking back at Cody while the young man raised his hands and asked her, "Do you not get it!?" His voice was still down so that Lana wouldn't overhear, but bore an intensity to it nonetheless. "There is _something_," he pointed behind himself toward the docks and the lake, "out there, and if you go, you probably _won't_ come back."

"Well, it's sweet of you to be concerned," Link informed him flatly with a bland tone of voice, "but if we don't, think of it this way. We're paying to borrow the boat, and you'll get our horses. So you have nothing to lose." Link then smacked Cody's arm in a friendly manner and turned to take their satchels back to their horses finally. Cody stood there blinking over the words, cringing when Link smacked his upper arm because it'd been a strong hit, and watched Zelda as she turned to move off in behind Link after giving him a little smirk.

"They're crazy," Cody muttered to himself, then he started following them to their horses. "Alright, alright," he said, "so I'll get something good for it either way. What's in it for _you_ two? Why are you crossing the lake?"

"Considering you tried to steal our horses and went through our belongings," Zelda started in response, "I don't think that's any of your business."

Cody looked down contritely, coming to a stop with a sigh of breath, and Zelda tied her satchel to Frost's back, telling Link, "I'm going to go see what kind of deal I can get, I like that red boat, it's small and it looks fast, so I'll be right back."

Nodding his head, Link watched her moving back to the front of the house before he finished tying his own satchel to Epona, and then he looked back at Cody. "So, have you seen anything anyway?"

Looking up, Cody nodded his head, "Yeah, but only out in the distance, where the water's deeper and the best fishing was. Whatever it is, it's too big to swim into more shallow depths."

Nodding his head, figuring that made sense, Link went to the front porch with Cody following him, considering this, listening as Zelda bargained for one of the boats. When he stepped up into the conversation, he heard Zelda saying, "There's one with a red hull out there, with white sails. That one should be big enough to suit our purposes. We may be gone for a few days as well, will that cost us extra?"

"No, dear. I was willing to just let you since no one else is willing to be taken out right now so it's not as if anyone will be inconvenienced. But if you really want to pay to borrow it, I'll ask a mere two hundred rupees. That boat was built by my grandson, and it's quite sturdy. Fairly fast too, so you should be able to cross the lake and back in no time."

Hearing that, Link glanced at Cody, then he sighed, hoping she was right about her grandson's handy work since his skill in stealing definitely needed a little practice. Cody narrowed his brows defensively and said, "Hey, if there's one thing I can do, it's build. I'm the one who put up a lot of parts of this house before Grandpa died."

"He did," Lana snickered, "then finished off the front porch by himself. He's a wonderful carpenter."

Zelda smiled, and she went through her pouch, pulling out the two hundred rupees, taking Lana's hand and placing them in it. "There, two hundred it is. That sounds like a fair deal to borrow the boat to me."

Cody stepped up and went over to count the rupees for his grandmother, and while he did, Lana asked, "So, why are you two needing to cross the lake? Do you have business with the Zoras?"

"You could say that," Zelda smiled before she stood up straight again.

"Hmm," Lana drew out while Cody stuck the money in a pouch across his belt and stood next to her. "You know, whatever _is_ out there sings some very pretty music at night when it's quiet and no one's around. I don't understand why everyone's so afraid of it."

"Because it's _huge_, grandma!," Cody told her as if he'd said as much fifty times already.

While they talked about it, Zelda listened and narrowed her brows. Music? Something suddenly struck a chord with her, ironically, and Link noticed the look of enlightenment on her face, wondering what she was onto. Turning around, she asked Lana in confusion, "What do you mean by music?"

"Well, it sings songs like whales do. It's actually helped me to sleep in these financially troubling times in the evenings. I guess I'm the only one who considers the beast friendly, just misunderstood."

Zelda stared at the old woman for a moment before she smiled and told her, "Thank you, Lana, you just helped me figure something out. Pardon us for a moment. We're going to go look the boat over." With those words, she grabbed Link's hand and pulled him off with her toward the docks.

Link couldn't help his soft grunt as she did so, hearing Lana chuckling behind them as if she were excited to see what the two of them might find, and once their footsteps faded away, as Cody walked past her from counting the rupees for her, she reached out her hand and swatted his backside harder than it looked like she might be able to.

"Ow!" He exclaimed, rubbing his now sore butt, adding further discomfort to his bruised jaw and recently slapped arm. "What'd I do!?"

"That's what you get for stealing horses!," Lana grumbled at him, having heard the whole thing apparently. "Fool kids." She sighed while she sat back in her chair comfortably.

Out on the docks, Zelda stopped just before she reached the boat they were going to take, and she looked up at Link, her eyes bright. "Play the flute."

Link lifted a brow when he heard the words she'd spoken, asking her, "Now?" Then he thought again and considered the song Lana said the creature liked to sing. Suddenly it all made sense to him, and he smirked. "You think music might tame the savage beast?"

"It's worth a shot," Zelda smiled, "I mean Myriad said sometimes complicated problems have simple solutions, so it makes sense that this is how we're supposed to convince the guardian to let us pass. It's easy enough, right?"

Smiling at her, Link nodded, then he let her turn with him as he started walking on toward the boat. As he went, he remembered seeing Cody look it over and he told her, "It's a good thing Cody didn't take it," with a roll of his eyes.


	32. Nautical Mishap

_Chapter 31 - Nautical Mishap_

The boat was definitely not big enough for two horses, but that was a good thing since they may have needed their speed, and the smaller craft looked capable in that arena. It was about seven feet long from bow to stern, a single mast with it's sail tied down to it currently residing in the center of the vessel's deck. Link and Zelda settled one of their satchels aboard which carried things they might have needed just incase, and Cody helped them to untie the ship from the dock it was tethered to once they'd stepped down into the boat.

Pulling the rope free and winding it up, then tossing it over to Link, who caught it with ease, Cody told them both, "I sure hope you two know what you're doing."

Link looked over at the seventeen year old and replied simply, "It'll come to us," with a smirk before he moved to the mast while the boat began to drift away from the docks. Once there, he began untying the sail, securing the bottom of it to the boom with a tight tie. As the white material was unfolded, the winds filled it out to fullness, and the boat began to move away from the docks a bit more swiftly, with Link's help as well while he'd grabbed a paddle and pushed it through the water on both sides a few times in order to get them going before setting the object back onto the deck again.

As he did this, Zelda sat at the tiller by the stern in order to steer, Cody watching them both uncertainly as they went.

Shaking his head, Cody sighed, "I guess I still might get those horses after all." Then he glanced up to the skies to see a mass of dark clouds heading in as they had blocked out the sunlight slowly. That definitely didn't add to Link and Zelda's fortune.

Link and Zelda, having not heard what Cody said as the wind continued whipping into the sail, pushing the small water craft along, just concentrated on their task at hand. Turning the tiller slightly to steer, Zelda asked as Link stood near the mast, "Should I head toward the middle of the lake since we need to find the guardian first?"

Link nodded back to her, turning to glance her way as the wind whipped through his hair, "Yeah. Just head out to the center, where it's deeper."

"Alright," Zelda replied.

Their speed was really starting to pick up, and Link noticed the water was getting deeper because it was turning a darker shade of blue. Zelda noticed the same thing, and she saw him reaching into his pouch to pull his flute from it so he could have it ready. She took a deep breath when she noticed it, hoping this idea would work, but somehow, she got the feeling that it would, and remained confident instead of becoming pessimistic. Her only hope now was, realizing there was a storm cloud traveling overhead now, they didn't run into trouble due to bad weather.

The cold wind blowing made the ride seem frigid, and Zelda tried to concentrate on what they were doing despite the fact that her fingers were getting so cold. Due to this, she pulled her gloves out of her belt pouch and put them on, then glanced ahead at Link who was watching the water.

"Do you see anything?"

"Nothing yet."

Zelda glanced out across the surface of the lake herself, only wondering what they might be spotted and pursued if the guardian was going to protect his home. She considered in those few moments what Lana had said, about the creature just being misunderstood, and wondered if the elder woman's opinions weighed any merit. Perhaps the creature wasn't fierce at all, only feared because he was so huge, and perhaps _had_ eaten some people who'd caused him trouble. But her head tilted up, her thoughts interrupted, when she heard a sound.

It was a lowly made hum in the distance, and while they traveled across the waters swiftly, they heard another sound following it, as if something huge was moving beneath them. Link glanced back at Zelda, his brows slightly narrowed, when the sound of the song playing again reached his pointed ears, muffled by the waters beneath them. That's when he looked at the surface of the water behind their boat, and the glance drew Zelda's attention.

A shadow was moving toward the swiftly traveling craft now, one that made them both feel like ants in comparison to it's size, and her lips parted in amazement, her eyes wide. The shadow of the beast had to be at least fifty or sixty feet from head to tail, and as for width, it was a good forty, the shadow coming up beneath them with no trouble whatsoever, engulfing their own size just as easily.

"It's huge!," she drew out, unable to help her awe over the situation.

Link had to agree, staring at it while it seemed to travel with them for the moment, nearly forgetting what they were trying to do. His grip on the mast tightened, his brows narrowed, and above the winds whipping past them, the same aquatic melodies hit his ears much more clearly this time, coming from the deep beneath their vessel. The song seemed to be somehow longing, as if calling out, and Zelda spoke his same thoughts, calling out to him above the sounds.

"He's looking for a reply, Link. Play back to him."

Nodding, Link lifted the flute, looking at it with the hope that this would work before he pressed the mouthpiece to his lips. As he did, he took in a breath of air and began to play. The melody that came out of him was somewhat slow and eery, but even more strange was the fact that the notes sounded awfully similar to that which the guardian was churning out as he concentrated on his task at hand, on what he wanted, to convince him that they weren't threatening, and only needed to seek out Zora's Domain.

Zelda watched in silence as his melody played with that of the water dweller's, seeing the guardian rising closer to the surface as their songs went on. At the shallow depth it was swimming now, she could see much more detail than before. His scales appeared to have patterns across them in vivid red and blue colors, getting so close to their boat she feared it might scrape the bottom and cause a leak. Her fingers tightened on the tiller, hoping to keep them steady, awaiting some kind of response.

Looking back at Link while they sailed, cutting through the water swiftly along with the creature beneath them like a knife, she was glad his eyes were closed, otherwise his worries over the same thought she'd had that the huge beast was getting too close to them might've interrupted his ability to play correctly.

But somehow, it was an awe inspiring sight, and as they moved, wind whipping over Link as he somehow felt the connection from the enchanted flute he played to the creature singing to him now, he found that somehow he simply knew exactly what he was doing, and his fingers moved with much more confidence. It seemed to connect them both, and in essence, they understood the other's needs.

The guardians song began to grow more quiet as this happened, his depth increasing as if he were swimming away from them to leave them in peace. Seeing this happening, Zelda stared in intrigue, calling out, "Link, it's working!" She couldn't help a bright smile, "He's letting us pass."

Link, continuing to play, opened his eyes to see into the water, and slowly, he pulled the flute from his lips and stopped, hearing the wail of water beneath them as the guardian sunk lower into the depths. Realizing she was right, he grinned, looking over at her when he asked, "What did I tell you about the man eaters that were probably out here?"

Zelda grinned back, chuckling happily over his words. It felt somehow good to have been able to overcome this obstacle, and she replied, "I don't think there's a line big enough to catch this one."

Link smirked, feeling completely at ease in their path to Zora's Domain, when he felt a vibration in the boat and narrowed his brows.

"What was that?," Zelda asked, having felt the same thing in the tiller she held onto.

Link was unsure himself, but he looked up when something surfaced behind them swiftly, which happened to be the caudal fin of the guardian rising up while the huge creature was turning to dive and leave them both in peace. The fin was definitely threatening the security of the sailboat, and holding out his hand, he called, "Zelda! Watch out!"

Zelda stood as the fin moved past their boat in order to submerge again, but the waves of the water it generated began flooding over them and their water craft. The vessel was tossed a bit in the aftermath, and Zelda grabbed the mast in order to steady herself, using her arms instead of her hands to get a better grip on the tall pole.

Link, on the other hand, lost his grip, his fingers slipping from the mast as if it were covered in oil. When he stumbled back, the short boom connected to the mast swung around due to the water pushing on the sails, and the tip of the wooden beam nailed him in his temple directly.

Blackness ensued his consciousness, and Zelda turned to see his body falling limply overboard.

"Link!" She reached fruitlessly, releasing the mast from her arms quickly. Pushing herself to her feet, she moved toward the edge of the boat, and without question, dove in after him.

The water, once she'd dove in, was actually warmer somehow, probably due to the cold wind that had been whipping over her for so long, but she ignored it as she swam, seeing Link sinking slowly below. Pushing as hard as she could with her legs, his extremities became outstretched upwards in his unconscious state while he sank slowly. Zelda pushed as hard as she could to catch up to him, reaching his wrist with her hand finally and latching onto it tightly. With a little lost air rising in bubbles up and past her face, she tugged him toward herself.

As she did so, getting an arm around his back, she looked up to locate their boat, seeing it drifting along easily now in much calmer waters, when something else caught her eyes. Looking ahead, in the distance, she could see the guardian faintly, his face blotted out by the darkness the waters cast on him, but his eyes, settled atop his head, somehow seemed to glint blue in an eery fashion. What's more, there appeared to be an underwater wall behind him that rose up, not quite reaching the surface of the lake, but she could see the doors located on it's front side down below.

While the doors were somewhat hard to see, she could still detect a symbol carved there of the Triforce.

Not able to think on it in that moment, needing both air and to get out of the water with Link, she kicked her legs upwards as hard as she could, getting closer to the boat, before she vanished with him in a blue green light, teleporting them both back out of the water before too much more time had passed and onto the deck of their vessel once again.

What she didn't notice was that in her attempts to get Link safely back to the boat, they'd lost something. The flute Link had been given had slipped from his fingertips when he'd fallen into the water, and was currently drifting down toward the bottom of the lake.

It landed within a finned palm safely.

Zelda coughed while she gasped for breath on the deck of the ship, but she didn't let that stop her, pushing Link over onto his back and lowering her ear to listen for his breathing. Nothing sounded however, his chest wasn't moving. The only sound there was came from his faintly beating heart and the water drops of rain that had begun to fall from the cloudy skies above them.

Zelda lifted her head, gripping his arm and chest with worry. She tried to think, what did she do? He'd gotten water blocking his airways, and she had to act fast. Searching her mind for knowledge, she remembered that one of the villager's children in Kakariko had almost drowned in the fishing pond once, and in order to clear their lungs out, they'd pumped on his chest from behind while tilting him forward.

Remembering it clearly now as the boat sat on the surface of the water, the sails down because the boom had been broken, rains falling onto their bodies, Zelda pushed Link up and turned so that she was behind him, pulling his shield off and setting it on the deck before getting her arms around his sides. Fisting her hands together, she pushed them with a squeeze of her arms into his chest three times in succession, waited, like she remembered it from before, and then pushed again.

By the seventh try, Link coughed up the water that was stuck in his throat, and took in his breath deeply before he started hacking away for more air. He grabbed the side of the boat in order to steady himself, and Zelda pushed herself to his side, allowing him to sit back. For the moment she tried to calm down her immense wave of relief before she completed checking him out to see if all was alright.

She noticed the side of his head had been busted open, blood trickling down the side of his face now from above his brow, and she put her hand on his cheek, asking him, "Link? Are you okay?"

Breathing harshly, he nodded, replying, "What happened?"

"You were knocked out by the boom and fell overboard. I had to jump in and pull you back out." As she replied, she used the magic given to her by the Fairy Maiden to heal the wound he'd received, her palm glowing blue against his skin as the wound started healing up, leaving only the blood trails behind.

Link groaned over her words, though he was immensely appreciative of the relief he felt to the throbbing of his head, and he shivered with the cold the breeze gusting over them both was causing. In turn he felt her shivering as well. Being soaked as they were didn't help the cold late autumn afternoon to be any warmer.

"I'm sorry," he breathed out, then reached and pulled her closer to himself.

She let him, needing the heat of their bodies to warm up, watching as he took her hands in his, trying to keep their blood circulating by rubbing them between his palms. As he did this, she shook her head at him. "It's not your fault. But now what do we do? The sails are down, and it's too far to swim back to shore."

"Yeah, I can see that," he replied, reaching up to the side of his face when he felt something trickling, finding the blood left over from the wound she'd healed, and he wiped it away with his fingers. He tried to search for a solution to get themselves out of this problem while he did so, but he couldn't think of one in that moment.

Zelda whimpered, wishing they'd brought their blankets along, her fingers feeling as if needles were prickling them, as well as her toes, and she put them to her lips to breathe warm breath onto them. Link felt the same way, reaching to her back to rub his arms up and down it.

"That any better?"

She nodded, and she wondered why, maybe it was because she was smaller than him, but she was actually shivering and her teeth chattering. Link was cold himself, but he wasn't shaking the way she was. He was about to sit forward and pull her legs up so she was settled more completely on his lap, but he stopped and narrowed his brows. "Did you feel that?"

"No," she shook her head, shivering to much to notice anything, "what-t is it?"

Slowly, he pushed himself up, looking over the side of the boat and into the water. He'd felt a thump, and when he looked, he felt another one. Sniffling, searching the waters while rains started falling a bit harder, he noticed that the boat was moving, and told her so.

"Something's pushing us."

"It-t is?" She asked, looking with him, and then she glanced over the back of the boat. Once she had, she saw what looked like someone residing within the waters below her, fins lining their sides and arms, as well as their legs, swimming steadily with their hands on the stern, and she looked at Link and smiled a little bit. "It's the Zora."

Taking another deep breath, he nodded, glad to see that, _very_ glad. He hated the thought of having to swim whenever it was such a long distance for one, and for another, it was such a cold afternoon in the rain. Sitting back and drawing her in next to him to try and keep the both of them warmer while they were carried to Zora's Domain, he had a thought and he reached to his belt, checking his pouch. When he found nothing, he asked Zelda, "Do you have the flute?"

She stared at him quietly, then looked out at the water. "Oh no."

Hearing that, with a soft sigh, Link tilted his head down and shook it. "I hope Lyonel doesn't get too angry about it considering the circumstances. I should have put it back up the moment I stopped playing it."

"It's okay," she reassured him, taking his hand, "it's just as much my fault as it is yours anyway."

Leaning up, she kissed his cheek to comfort him, and he finally smiled in response, glancing at her. The tip of her nose was a bit red, as were her cheeks, her hair clinging to her neck and forehead in spots, which he reached up to push back for her. That's when he had a thought while the Zora carried them along, and he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers slowly.

When he did, she felt her heartbeat quicken, and it seemed to zap a good bit of heat into her body somehow. With her hands both clutched in one of his, and his opposing arm around her back, she felt him breaking the kiss after a moment and heard him asking her, "Feel any warmer now?"

The question took a while to sink into her mind, not numb with cold anymore, but with heat instead. Somehow, what he'd just done seemed like the best idea in the world to her. Slowly, Zelda nodded her head, and in a drunken manner, whispered to him, "Kiss me again."

He had no qualms with that, leaning in with a small smirk to do like the lady had asked so she'd stay warm. She responded in kind with a soft murmur of breath that told him she was a bit overwhelmed and dizzy, the sound heating his own blood up since he enjoyed her positive responses to his touch. His hand clutched her side as he held her close and let his lips part and slowly slant over hers, making her clutch her fingers into his jerkin as he held her hands warmly in his.

Before long, neither one of them noticed the cold, just one another and the warmth between them, drifting across the lake into the gorge that led to Zora's domain.

On the other side of Lake Hylia, toward the northwest, a smile was made, and the hooded man turned with his horse. While he was too far away to see everything in detail, Lyonel knew they'd managed to pass the guardian's barrier, and he turned to move on, his horse beginning to trot along.

Things were flowing smoothly indeed.


	33. Boundaries

_Chapter 32 - Boundaries_

The tiny sail boat drifted through the gorge quietly as the rain slowly began to turn to snow. The shimmering white flakes of snow floating about them weren't too thick at that moment, just gently falling here and there. The rock walls that surrounded the craft which was being pushed by two Zoras were glistening with ice on either side the further they drifted, and a wind whipping down between the walls made slight hissing noises around the small boat. It'd only grown colder, and the two riding on the sailboat hoped that there was some place they could go to get warmer before too much longer past.

Still cuddled together, resting against the back of the boat, Link and Zelda watched the scenery going by, glancing about quietly, seeing torches lining the walls in some places, the fires in them a blue color. The further down the gorge they traveled, the closer they could see a harbor incoming before them, the gorge growing wider as they went until a number of docks were lined up before them, most leading to steps that directed upwards into archways carved out of the walls leading to Zora's Domain.

Arriving at the docks, the two of them climbed off of their boat inside of the large cavern. Still wet and cold, they stood there for a moment, taking in the scenery around them. Tones of blue, white, and grey painted the scenery, the water's reflections making intricate patterns on the ceiling of the cavern the gorge had led them into, and across the way, on different docks, some Zoras stood, going about normal daily activities apparently.

The steps they were standing on led up into an archway itself lining a rock wall with the statues of what appeared to be a high ranking female Zora standing on both sides with a dorsal fin along her head that was spiked and started at one ear, arcing over her cranium to the next. Perhaps it was a carving of one of the Zora's rulers, but that was still to be seen. From the archway between the statues appeared one of the tall, slender members of the race, his skin a pale blue and marked with patterned blotches of a darker blue down his sides, legs, and arms. His head appeared to be elongated in the back with a spiked dorsal fin lining the top from his forehead to the back of his neck, as well as two long whiskers, like what would be found on a catfish, sticking out of the sides of his upper lip.

His black eyes looked friendly despite their oddity when compared to human eyes, and he stepped down toward them, carrying white furs in his arms. Reaching the two that had been brought to them once their boat was no longer capable of sailing properly, he held his arms out and spoke politely, as well as wisely.

"Welcome to our home, the domain of the Zoras. I am Esair, personal servant of Queen Majalyn, at your service."

Taking the furs from him gratefully and wrapping them around their shoulders, the two thanked him, followed by Zelda's returned words of introduction. "I am Zelda, and this is Link. We're–"

Esair interrupted her by lifting his hand, "Your reason for coming here can be saved until you've both been warmed by a fire. If you would please follow me, I'll take you somewhere that this can be done."

That sounded incredibly good to the both of them, and they nodded in reply as he turned to lead them into Zora's domain. Walking up the steps in behind him, they came to a large structurally shaped dome carved out of the interior walls, in the center a pool of clear water with a fountain shooting water up into a fanned out circle. Beyond the fountain were more steps leading up to the large double doors of the throne room, though the doors closed currently, and other Zoras stood about, glancing over at the newcomers as they were brought in, several of them bowing their heads in respect as Link and Zelda passed.

The area appeared to be a courtyard of some type, and as they walked on, Esair told them, "I apologize for the damage done to your ship. The accident made by the guardian wasn't intentional."

Heading behind him, Link replied, "Well, we weren't too hurt, and the boat can be fixed, so there's nothing to worry about."

Esair led them up a set of stairs against the east wall, heading toward a corridor and then up a short slope, into an alcove where a fire was going and more furs were lining the floors. Standing to the side of the entrance, he held out his hand and gave them both nods as they past him into the room.

"I hope not, we would hate to have seen something tragic happen. The Queen wishes to speak with you herself as well, but she has business to attend to currently so she may be a slight bit delayed. She's instructed me to inform you both that you should take the time you have to wait to get a little rest here until you're summoned. I hope the quarter is accommodating. Would you like a little to eat? Or do you need anything more to get you warmed?"

Zelda smiled, thankful for their hospitality, and Link returned the kindness by saying, "We'll be fine, though something to eat does sound good."

"I see. We have some fillet bass we will cook for you if that's the case, since we know Human and Hylian predilection for cooking their meat before consumption. I'll return shortly with the meals."

"Thank you, Esair," Zelda told him, watching as he bowed his head and walked on. Once he'd left, she walked over to the fire to settle herself in front of it. Already, the feeling was coming back to her fingers as she tugged off her gloves, but her feet were still like ice, and sitting down, she tugged her boots off in order to put them near the warmth of the oddly blue flame before pulling one foot up to rub the feeling back into.

It was then that she heard Link's chainmail rattling, and she glanced over to see him removing it along with his green jerkin so that his white shirt worn beneath them both would dry out more quickly, settling his clothing near the fire along with his own boots before he turned to go sit near her.

"They seem very friendly,"Zelda commented to him, "and it's nice to be able to feel most of my extremities again."

"I agree," Link told her with a little smile, then he looked at how soaked her dress was, especially around her legs, and reached over. "This is going to seem strange, but you really should take that dress of until it dries more. At least then what you're wearing under it will dry faster."

Zelda went a little wide eyed, not because he wanted her to take her dress off, which in itself sounded embarrassing, but because of where they were. He'd untied the strings in the back, and she shook her head, leaning away from him, "Link, we're not alone right now. I'm not going to wander about in my slip. It's not proper."

Link snorted, tugging the strings along the back of her bodice open anyway, and he added, "I hate to inform you of this and embarrass you even more, but the Zoras apparently don't wear clothing at all."

"That's different! They're not human, or even Hylian, and that's their culture."

As the bodice loosened, she took in a deep breath and Link stopped, turning his head to look at her face, continuing on through her embarrassed outburst. "So I don't think they're going to react the same way our people would. Besides, that slip was all you were wearing last night with me. You weren't embarrassed then."

He'd made a good point, she decided, but at the same time, she was blushing harshly, especially because of how he'd spoken the words, making it sound as if more had happened than it actually had. So she gave him the best answer she could muster in reply. "Well, now that I think about it," she told him properly, "I think I probably shouldn't have, especially considering the way we were kissing in the boat on the way here. I have to remember that things aren't the same between us now. We have feelings for one another now so things have to be handled differently. It wasn't proper for me to do that last night, and it isn't proper for me to do so here either."

Having finished untying the strings of her bodice, he lifted a brow at her, and she dared a glance back at him. Seeing the look, she asked him, "What?"

"You're saying you're uncomfortable with me now?"

"No!," Zelda grumbled, "I'm simply saying that if we continue to have these romantic feelings toward one another, then I need to exercise modesty."

She was awfully cute when she was arguing logically, he thought for a minute, shaking his head as he sat back and folded his arms against his chest, waving one hand at her, "Fine then, sit there and be modest in your cold wet dress," he stopped for a moment, then added humorously, "_my lady_." He was grinning nearly from ear to ear.

Zelda turned a little glare at him, then looked ahead at the fire again. Modesty did have it's place, though, it _would_ have been nice to get the soaked skirt off of her legs. Grumbling, knowing she really wanted to get warmer than she was, she finally reached up and gave in, pulling her bodice off of her chest before she got onto her knees and slipped the dress the rest of the way down.

Link smirked, looking away to both give her the modesty she wanted as well as to keep her from seeing the smile he had, which might've prompted her to argue with him more, and listened as she apparently moved to lay the garment in a good place near the fire. Then he looked back, and caught the briefest sight of silken skin being clung to by a wet slip before she pulled the fur Esair had given her back over her shoulders.

In a way, Link realized he might have preferred that she'd kept the outfit on. Since her slip was wet, the white material was clinging to her body in very shapely ways. The swells of her breasts and her backside were much easier to see before she'd put the fur back on, unlike the night before when the flimsy material hadn't stuck to her at all, and he forgot for just a moment exactly where they were. Why was she in just her slip again?

Zelda grabbed their satchel while Link fought his brief confusion from glimpsing her scantily dressed body and opened it, finding inside of it a lump of soaked bread which she sighed over. Shaking her head, she threw it into the fire to get rid of it since it was no good now, and then made sure everything else was still secure. The jar holding their fairy was fine, no water had gotten inside of it and it hadn't busted, so she nodded, and then found a vial of potion which she opened and took a sniff of to see if it was alright as well.

With everything in place, she set it back up and organized it, and checked their belts as well. Link just watched her the entire time she checked their belongings, the fire warming them both more and more over time. Why was it that he felt as if he could've stared at her all day long? She was gorgeous, of course, but could he really not stop staring? While he watched her, not even paying much attention to her actions themselves, she turned to him and made a comment.

"You know, that was a switch back there."

Blinking his eyes a few times, he wondered what she was talking about. But in determination not to make an idiot out of himself due to the fact that he'd been staring at her, he just nodded, "Yes, it was."

The words made her smile. "I finally got a chance to save your life, though I think the Zoras knew we were around, so they probably would have anyway if I couldn't have reached you in time."

Oh, Link thought to himself, was _that_ what she'd meant, speaking of their mishap on the boat when he'd fallen overboard. Thankfully he'd managed to get by without it being noticed that he'd been originally oblivious to her line of thought. Continuing on with their conversation, he shrugged, "I'd rather you have done it."

Smiling at him, thinking back to how he'd been drifting beneath the water, she remembered what she'd seen when she'd grabbed him, and her face turned to one of a little more urgency. "Oh, by the way, when we were underwater and you were unconscious, I saw the entrance to the Temple."

"Did you?" He asked, considering that for a moment. "No wonder Myriad said we would have to come here before we could enter it since it's beneath the surface. I wonder how they'll help us out with that."

She glanced back at him from the fire and shook her head unknowingly, "We'll just have to see. But we'll have to get wet again you know?"

"Yeah, I'd just thought of that," he replied, guessing there might not have been a use for completely drying out their clothing. But he decided to push it from his head for the moment, and Zelda watched him drift off into thought. He looked as if he might've been trying to prepare himself for what lay ahead of them, and she wondered what he was thinking whenever he went into spells like that. Somehow he looked somber, as if he had a million things to think of, but didn't know which one to start on. Just as he'd considered of her earlier, she had to notice his attractiveness in that moment, and how she couldn't help but take it in.

The cold all but forgotten now, she reached for his hand and moved to sit closer to him. Catching his attention, he watched her and lifted his arm around her shoulders, letting her lean against him. Wherever his mind might have trailed to, she herself kept thinking about the kiss he'd given her on the boat while the Zoras had pushed them into their harbor, and she found herself wanting to repeat those actions.

It made her question where they were, not physically, but emotionally, with one another, and what boundaries lay between them. All of their lives they'd been close friends, adoptive siblings with no blood relation and no family outside of one another aside from Alma who was taken from them at a very young age, and that was how the both of them were used to things being between each other. With the time they had to wait on Queen Majalyn to see them, she figured now was the best moment to consider it all.

Sitting against him now, with his arm over her shoulders somehow just seemed to fit. It wasn't awkward, uncomfortable, nor did it feel like something they shouldn't be doing. Kissing him was definitely nice as well. But she knew they were both hesitant, because of their futures, and unsure of how things would wind up keeping them both in check, seemingly preventing them from furthering their discussions and perhaps even involvement with one another romantically.

Not that it had been all that long since they'd admitted their feelings anyway, nor had they been given much of a chance to talk more about it. Still, she knew there was a hesitancy she felt there because of the issues of stations in life as well as direction of their futures, and wondered if he felt the same way.

Link, as she snuggled into his side, asked her, "Still cold?"

When he asked that, she smiled a little and nodded her head even though she wasn't really. She'd actually wanted to ask him how he'd felt, but hearing the question made her consider that he might kiss her again, and despite her hesitancy, she told him yes to see if he would or not.

Seeing the playful look on her face, he knew somehow that she just wanted to kiss him again, and he thought it was cutely humorous, but at the same time, a very good opportunity. "Want me to fix it again?"

She was blushing, proving she couldn't be all that cold, and again she nodded slowly at him, leaning up to meet her lips to his. As they meet, she had another thought spark in her mind, one that she knew she couldn't help but consider, that was, if the slow kiss didn't melt her thinking processes first.

If it was wrong for them to feel this way about one another considering their imposing social statuses, if they were crossing boundaries that should have been left in tact, then Zelda couldn't see the whole use of having boundaries set up at all. This one was royalty and that one was commoner, which made no sense in her mind. They were all people, and love was indiscriminate apparently, proven by the swell of emotion she felt for him when their mouths touched one another's.

That hesitancy she'd felt toward furthering their romantic involvement faded in those moments. Reaching up, she put her arms around his sides, her eyes closing, allowing her lips to part and the searching caress of their tongues to meet, making her just as dizzy as it had before. She didn't care for waiting or status or any other type of imposition in that moment as she kissed him and could feel how much he cared about her in the kiss he was giving back to her.

She only cared about him.

In turn, Link had the same thought about their differences. But he also considered that he was getting comfortable, and in knowing he may eventually have to let her go, this could have been a bad idea. He didn't wanted to do anything too soon that would make her feel awkward anyway, but at the same time, on some level, he felt if he didn't do it now, he would never be able to.

It was definitely a sour thought. It made him feel both urgent and hesitant at the same time, and being pulled both ways, he wasn't sure where to go. He loved her, and he wanted to show her as much, but he also wanted to respect her and make things between them as easy as possible. But the one that weighed more than the other seemed to be the possibility of their, well, inability to be together. So he made his decision.

Placing his hands down and around her hips, he pulled her up a bit so that she was settled between his legs with both of hers placed across one of his. Turning his head from her face when she was close enough, he moved to her throat and her jaw, continuing to kiss her there. After all, if he loved her, if it actually was wrong to, he wanted her to at least know a good bit of the extent of his feelings for her before it was too late.

Her eyes opened slowly in response to the quickening of her heart as his lips brushed against the smooth skin of her throat, slowly upwards toward her ear. The sensations caused her to dig her fingers into the back of his still damp shirt. Her lips parted with the growing speed of her breath, finding the way her skin began to tingle in response to his attentions to be too good to ignore, finally allowing her eyes to close once again.

"Link..."

His name was a slightly hoarse whimper, and she couldn't help the way it had sounded, desires in her demanding her to never let this end. Something seemed urgent about the way he was kissing her as well, and she couldn't put her finger on it, but it almost seemed as if he was trying to keep her right there in that moment with him.

Hearing her voice, he lifted his head and looked down at her, afraid he might've gone too far. When he did, Zelda shook her head, leaning up with the words, "No, don't stop," before she kissed him herself this time. He didn't even think, simply complied, slipping his hands inside of the fur she was using to cover herself before tilting her back slowly across the floor, his fingers skimming across the damp material and up her back.

His chest pressed down into hers, flattening her breasts beneath it, and her reaction was to arch her back upward, grip him tightly, a flood of heat passing through her body making it a bit _too_ hot in the room. He honestly didn't have his hands anywhere indecent, was simply kissing her, but the way their bodies were connected, so little between them, the heat she could feel radiating from him along with the intense roll of his tongue against hers, and the intensity of how she felt for him made her heart want to leap out of her throat.

She felt a wave of arousal hitting her like it never had before which got her fairly embarrassed, made her whimper against his lips in a little bit of fear. Link himself had become a great deal drunken with the emotions flaring between them in that moment in time, however, when he heard her whimper, a warning sign went up.

This was the one boundary they had to listen to and obey.

He broke the kiss with a slow tug of her lips and a deeply made breath that said he'd been just as affected as she was. Her lids parted open slowly, gazing back up into the sapphire depths of his own heated eyes. She realized he was apologetic just by looking at his face and knowing him so well, was afraid he'd gone to far by moving over her as he had, and she didn't want him to feel bad or guilty, not when she'd been the one to tell him not to stop to begin with.

"I'm sorry, I–"

"I love you," she stopped him with a shake of her head, "you don't have to be sorry. It was my fault. I just got a little scared because I...," she trailed and glanced away shyly, "I'm just not used to it."

"I know, and that's why I'm sorry," he told her softly, "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Turning her eyes back up to his face as he sat back again, taking her hand to pull her up and let her rest against him. Once she was settled there, she nodded slowly in understanding, whispering back to him, "I'm not, but this just isn't the right place for all of that I suppose. Don't be sorry, please? I think we're both just afraid there won't be more time alone like this in the future."

He nodded slowly in response, and in doing so, added, "If this is the only time I get with you, I want it to last. But I don't want to compromise anything, our quest, our friendship, or our feelings for one another. We have to think of all of that before we can decide on anything, otherwise we might fail."

She watched him as he spoke, her expression that of part sorrow, part understanding. "I want to tell you not to speak of it, but I also know that if we don't, it could lead to worse problems. You're absolutely right. Neither one of us can afford to be selfish and think only of each other when so much is at stake. As much as I'd like to ignore the problems, pretend this never happened, and head back to Kakariko to further our relationship, we might not have a Kakariko, or anywhere else, to go back to. If we don't fortify ourselves, we won't even have a future for ourselves, let alone each other."

"That's true," he considered, knowing those words couldn't have held more accuracy. If they didn't speak of it now, something could happen to jeopardize all that he'd mentioned before, right down to life or death. Was it fair they had so much responsibility on their shoulders? Of course not, but it also wasn't fair that what happened to begin with did so, and stole so much from so many people.

They happened to be the only ones who could fully stop it. Their love for one another would always last, somehow he knew that, and the more pressing issues had to be dealt with first, as much as he hated to admit it. But he wasn't going to just push this all away either. One way or the other, he was going to stay with her, even after all of this was over. He'd find a way.

"We'll just have to keep things slow," he started, "and make sure we're on the same page at all times. Just so it will be easier for us both with everything going on." As he spoke, he stroked his fingers through her hair gently, a soothing touch that made her lean into his hand.

"We do owe that much to ourselves," she replied quietly before she opened her eyes, his palm still against her cheek. "Besides, with all that continues to happen to us, we won't be able to even try to rush."

"Well, I guess that's one good thing about it," he smirked, and then heard footsteps, which caused him to look up. Seeing the shadow from the entrance to the cavern they were warming in as he walked up the steps, Esair looked in on the two of them. In his hand was a plate of cooked fish that was steaming because it was so hot, and he walked over toward them to hand the plate to them both. He didn't seem one bit upset that Zelda was seated on Link's lap, and simply treated them as he usually would.

"I hope I haven't interrupted you."

"No," Zelda shook her head, taking the plate and thanking him for it. "We were just trying to get warm, that's all."

"I see," he nodded his head respectfully, "then I'll leave you be."

They watched him turn to go again. As he headed out, Link stopped him. "Wait. Before you go, let me ask you something."

Esair turned to face the two of them, asking, "Yes, Link?"

"The guardian," Link started, "he isn't really aggressive at all, is he?"

A small smile graced Esair's lips, and he shook his head, "No, just fearsome to those who know nothing more of him, though he will attack if he needs to. That aside, he is simply our pet, guarding us from those who might harm our domain."

It made a lot of sense. Zelda admired their cleverness in protecting their home, and watched as Esair turned to walk on. Once he had, Zelda noticed Link pulling up a slice of the cooked fillet and taking a bite out of it. Watching him, she asked, "How is it?"

"Well," he replied after chewing a bit, "a little bland, but I'm hungry, so it's really good."

Zelda grinned, taking a piece of the fillet for herself in order to eat it. It didn't take them long, but thankfully, the meal was filling for the both of them, and they set the plate aside, opting to talk for a short while about what they'd been discussing before Esair came in.

All they needed to do was focus on their goals. Of course, considering the depth of emotion they felt as far as love for one another went, it was sometimes hard not to imagine just forgetting their responsibilities and going into hiding with one another somewhere. But working together as they were would definitely help, as long as neither of them forgot exactly what they were fighting for. So for now, they would hold off on exploring more of their romantic feelings until more was accomplished.

With those thoughts in mind, they checked on their drying clothing. Zelda realized that her dress was still fairly damp, and Link already knew his clothing wouldn't be completely dried yet, but his shirt was much warmer now so he went ahead and stuck his chainmail back on, then his jerkin, and he grabbed his equipment.

Zelda looked over to see him dressing completely again, and it didn't take her much time at all in comparison because he just had more to strap onto himself. So she headed for him once her belt was in place and he looked back when he heard her coming. She was wearing her burgundy dress again despite the dampness still in the fabric, and she began to help him fasten the buckles of the straps on his shoulder harness.

It was a simple enough task, but somehow, she couldn't help a small blush. Working the straps together, she searched for some meaning behind why she felt a bit of embarrassment. Was it because she was helping him to dress and the implications that had? She couldn't be entirely sure, but she avoided gazing at his face as she worked the leather through the metal, and then found him reaching up to cover her hands with his own. She suddenly clenched her fists and sighed out as if she were frustrated.

The reaction made him narrow his brows at her. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just," she groaned, "getting embarrassed and I don't know why."

The answer made him smile, especially considering they had just agreed to be plutonic for the time being in their personal affairs. So he decided to pick on her a little bit just to keep her from being so frustrated, at least, with a task such as helping him dress, which he knew had certain implications to it that could make a girl such as herself blush deeply.

"You just like the thought of putting my clothes back on me."

She'd just finished hooking the strap when he'd said that, and the words had the desired effect. Turning her face up to his, she crossed her arms with a bit of indignation and then lifted a brow. "Pardon me?"

Link grinned at her, offering a wink of his eye. Seeing the motion made her brows narrow over hers, but it wasn't long before she figured out what he was doing, which was distracting her. With a sigh, she rolled her eyes slightly, smirking as little as she could, and was about to reply when Esair's voice caught their attention again.

"Pardon me. Queen Majalyn has the time to give you audience now. If you would both follow me, please?"

Turning to look back at the Zora, Zelda grabbed the satchel they had with them and headed toward Esair beside of Link to go with him as he'd suggested. At least now she didn't have to worry about being picked on for her embarrassment anymore, or so she hoped. Somehow she got the feeling Link would just find something else to make fun of later though.


	34. What Once Was

_Chapter 33 - What Once Was_

The inside of the throne room of Zora's Domain revealed a somewhat large, rectangular shaped chamber, and instead of columns lining the walls, falling trails of water poured into small aqueducts lining each side of the marbled floor, decorated with blue and white diamond patterns. In the center of the ceiling was a chandelier decorated with the same blue flames they'd been sitting in front of before, casting interesting glows and shadows about the room, adding to the air of elegance it carried. It was beautiful and calm at the same time, very befitting the queen of an aquatic race. Other Zora stood about casually, seeming to speak amongst each other, though they also appeared to be curious over their Hylian visitors. As they were brought in, some of the Zoras watched in curiosity.

At the head of the room stood the throne, a female Zora seated atop it, her skin a pale blue which shined a faint pink in the light, fins flared out on her arms and hips, as well as one across the top of her head, the same as on the statues they'd seen before entering the domain, starting at one ear and ending at the other, making both Hylians who'd just been led in by Esair think of something like a crown. Apparently the statues had in fact been of the Zora's Queen after all.

Her crown fin sported spots along each spiked tip, her face was kind but somehow stern as well, as if she may have been a capable leader but also merciful, and when she spotted them with her deep blue eyes, she allowed a smile to lift her lips. She lifted her head with her attention to them as they approached her. Esair gave her a respectful bow, then turned to allow the three of them to talk, standing back at the doorway quietly.

"You are Link and Zelda," she started as she stood from the throne, a good bit taller than the both of them, stepping down the steps from where she'd been sitting until she was standing on the floor with the both of them. "Esair has told me your names. I am Queen Majalyn."

Link, once he'd stopped, bowed his head forward respectfully, as did Zelda, and the Queen just gave them both a kind smile. "Yes," Link began, "we came here to ask for your aide in entering the Temple of Water. The Sage Myriad told us to seek you out."

Majalyn tilted her head to the side as he spoke, watched them looking back up at her, and she glanced them both over more closely. When she did, she saw the necklace Zelda wore, the blue stone staring at her from the amulet, and she slowly reached out as to not startle the young woman, lifting the amulet so she could see the back of it and the royal symbol of her family placed there. Once she'd spied this, she lowered the amulet again and looked at Zelda's face.

"We've awaited you both a long time, especially you, Princess. Our two peoples have become distant in their relations. Once things are calm in the land of Hyrule again, I would like to ask that we convene to reopen them."

Zelda, unused to dealing with the tasks of royalty yet, felt an odd responsibility to the request. Though she knew it really was her say ultimately, it was still strange somehow. Perhaps because she still hadn't gotten herself into the royal mind-set, though she still parted her lips and made the wisest response she could muster, which was to say, "Once our problems are solved, I would love nothing more than to do so, my lady."

Link himself found the discussion untypical, though they'd yet to visit someone who knew Zelda's true identity. Everyone else had simply thought thus far that she was a commoner, as far as he knew anyway, and he could see from the example here that things would eventually become different for them both. But he was glad to witness something of it so soon, had been curious to know what might happen.

Majalyn smiled, returning a bow of her head to Zelda with the same respect Zelda had shown her a moment before, and then she stood up straight again and said, "You are young, but it is easy to see that you'll make a fine leader for Hyrule. From what I understand, you were taken as a baby to be raised apart from your true parents in the safety from those threatening the crown, correct?"

"Yes," she replied.

Majalyn nodded, then she added, "This being the case, you'll have much to grow used to becoming royalty. But do not fret. While there are shackles to the obligations, there is much freedom to be had as well." Once she'd spoken those words, she looked over at Link, asking, "You are the other, taken with her in order to save your own life?"

Link nodded, replying, "I am."

Majalyn smiled to him, finally addressing the issue he'd spoke of before. "Myriad is a well known name, but sadly we did not meet her before she disappeared. Though word of her wisdom was widespread, and we admired her for it. I will of course aide you in entering the Temple, but first, there is something I have to return to you, as well as matters to discuss." She lifted her finned arm and waved her fingers.

Looking back, Link and Zelda saw that a female Zora was heading toward them, and he held out his hand once he'd reached them. In her palm lay the flute that Lyonel had allowed Link to borrow, and Esair told him, "You dropped this when you fell into the water. I recovered it before it could be lost and brought it to the Queen."

Reaching for it, Link took it into his own hand and replied, "Thank you. It's not officially mine, so it's good to know I can return it to it's owner now."

Majalyn, hearing the words, asked, "Who gave it to you?"

Looking over at her, Link explained, "A good friend of ours who used to be a Royal Guard of Hyrule. His name is Lyonel."

"Lyonel? Myriad's mate?" She asked the question with a very intrigued look on her face. "We thought for sure he'd been killed the night that Dragmire took the throne from the king and queen."

Zelda shook her head, "No, he survived, though, he may have been badly injured to the point that it seemed he was dead. He always wears a hood now to cover his scars."

"I see," Majalyn nodded, "that does sound like a very plausible scenario. He never had any types of scars on his face when our people knew him. But it is good to hear that he is in fact still among us. I'd imagine he went into hiding due to his allegiances."

With those words, Majalyn turned and began to head to her steps, walking back up them and to her throne in order to sit. Once there, she looked down at the two and asked, "Do you know where that flute came from originally?"

Both of them shook their heads that they didn't. Once they had, Majalyn informed them, "It was made by a man whom used to sing for us regularly, and he had a voice that seemed to express all of the emotion within his soul. His performances were fairly awe inspiring, and he made his living off of his talents. But one day, he drew illness which claimed his voice for good. Overwrought with depression, he decided to carve for himself a flute to play. That is the flute he made, and we enchanted it for him, to express from his soul what he could with his voice, since he'd never actually learned how to play an instrument properly."

Link looked down at the flute, considering the story, and he wondered how Lyonel had come across the item. Before he could ask however, Majalyn added, "The last we knew, he'd given it to his daughter, but we never heard from her again after his death."

Link remembered Lyonel saying it had been passed on for generations, and he wondered if perhaps Lyonel's grandmother was the one they never saw again. Looking back up, he asked, "Is this flute important to you?"

"If you believe we're asking for it back, then no," she shook her head, "but, before we commence, I wanted to ask if you might play it for us sometime."

Link considered that, and told them, "I'm not much of a musician. As enchanted as this flute is," he looked at it, and then back at her, "you might find something more interesting from another whose more inclined toward that type of thing."

Majalyn considered the words quietly, and then replied to him, "It is not your musical talent you would be expressing, but rather yourself, as you are. Playing for us would give us a better chance to know you. Lyonel performed for us on several occasions himself. Also, not only is that flute for playing, it has its magic properties as well, which can perform many tasks, once you learn more of it that is."

Hearing those words, Link took a breath and looked at the instrument, guessing it had much more value than he'd first been told. But he considered playing for them, and shook his head, "I don't know how interesting I could possibly be to listen to."

Majalyn smiled, "You are the Hero of Legend, Link. To have the chance to know you so well is an opportunity I would like to take advantage of."

Humbly, Link slowly nodded, "Alright, then I'll have to play for you sometime."

"Splendid," Majalyn smiled, putting her hands together as if she were delighted to hear he'd agreed to perform sometime. Seeing her happiness over it, Zelda smiled, looking up at her with a question in mind.

"Majalyn, might I ask how you know so much of us already? Is it because of Lyonel?"

"Yes, he told us many of your stories. We have also had many visions of meeting you both. I knew your mother and father very well, Zelda. They weren't just the King and Queen to me, but good friends."

Zelda couldn't help herself, stepping forward and asking, "Could you tell me anything of them?" After all, the opportunity to know her parents from a friends perspective instead of a servants was too good to pass up.

"Hmm," the Queen considered, "well, to begin with, you resemble Nissandra almost perfectly, but your hair is darker, and you have your father's eyes. They were both kind, and often related to me about their incoming child. The Zora know little of your childbirth, but we do know that Nissandra, the further along she went carrying you, believed more and more that she was going to have a girl, so much so that she had a circlet made for you to wear as the princess before you were even born."

Hearing those words made Zelda's eyes begin to tear up, and she took a soft breath to fight the swell of emotion off, wishing she could have known them both so badly in that moment. As she did, Majalyn continued, "It was when she had the child that we lost much of our contact. The relations between our people remained good for a while, but more and more we noticed that somehow, things were changing, and a visit from Lyonel informed us of the entire affair of manipulation and child swapping. We were powerless to help, and he warned us to stay away, to withdraw from Hyrule's lands, until the Princess re-emerged. So we sought to defend ourselves by securing our domain in any way possible."

Listening to her, Link thought about Dragmire for a moment, and that he'd had to enter the Temple of Water to gain it's power, wondering if perhaps that was why the Zora were unable to offer much help. The thought drew a curious idea to mind, prompting him to ask, "Queen Majalyn, tell me about the Water Temple. Has it always been completely submerged?"

"No," the queen shook her head in reply, "it used to stand above the Lake Hylia on an island, many years ago. But when the dark mage Dragmire came to us and deceived us, he sank the entire island after unleashing his power there, in order to prevent anyone from entering and undoing what he had done. Some of our own people have tried, however we cannot break the spell he's placed upon the Temple's power. Without that power, we are much more vulnerable to attack, which is why we could not aide your family, Zelda."

"How were you deceived?" Link asked.

Majalyn seemed to grow a bit somber. Looking down, she told them, "My sister, Majastra, was the Sage of Water. Before he became the dark mage Dragmire, he was a wizard on the court of Hyrule's elder magic council. His name then was Druno, and he came bearing false news that the Kingdom of Althor was coveting the power of Hyrule, and that he'd foreseen an attack upon the Temple of Water. We believed him, after all, why would we not? But he killed my sister, and absorbed her powers for his own, and by the time we'd been able to figure out that it wasn't an attack from Althor, it was too late."

Sometime during her words, Link had stepped to the side in thought. He couldn't help himself. Druno. He knew that name. Nabooru had spoken it to him. Before he could consider it though, Zelda had put a hand on his shoulder and asked, "Link, are you alright?"

"Yes," he nodded, turning to face the two of them again, "I'm sorry, I just had a thought. Please, continue, Queen Majalyn."

Majalyn tilted her head, eyeing him as if not thoroughly convinced, but she didn't press the matter since he seemed unwilling to discuss it currently. "Very well. What we do know is that Dragmire used an orb of black magic to continually consume all of the essence that Majastra carried within her, and we've yet to find a way to stop that orb. But recently, the Temple is plagued with evil anyway, and it is dangerous for us to even attempt to enter it. So we've barred the doors to it completely shut."

Zelda thought that over before she considered the dark orbs and how Majalyn had said they'd been unable to break the spells cast. With the thought, she explained it to the Queen, "The only way to reverse the spell placed upon the Temple's power is if I go in and break it. Only a member of the Royal family can do so, and since I wasn't a part of the picture, I suppose Dragmire believed that the dark orb he used would never be broken. Now his son has possessed that power, and Ganondorf is just as ruthless as Dragmire was from what we've seen so far."

Majalyn seemed to take this in seriously, replying, "Then that's why our power would not work." After a moment of thought, she glanced at the two of them and said, "Then, I shall gift you with the tools needed to enter the Temple and restore it to it's former glory. Esair."

Hearing his name, the servant glanced up at his queen and gave her his full attention. Once he had, she went on, "Have these tools ready when Link and Zelda depart."

"Yes, your majesty," he replied respectfully and left in order to do so.

Watching him leave, Link and Zelda heard Majalyn speaking to them again, and so they looked back at her. "Your boat has been under repair. Our guardian did not mean to damage it as he did, and I apologize personally for the accident. Thankfully however, there's not much that needs to be done, so it should be ready for you to travel on any time now."

"Thank you, my lady," Zelda told her. "We only borrowed the boat, so it's good to hear it's being repaired."

Majalyn smiled, replying, "It was our fault, so no worry need come to you. But go to our harbor now. If the boat isn't repaired yet, then you may at least take our gifts in preparation of your quest."

"Sounds like a plan," Link said a bit more informally than the two women he was conversing with, his mood a little sour with what he'd realized through their talks, though he did hold out his arm politely to Zelda to allow her to go first. Thanking him, Zelda walked on, and when Link turned to head in behind her, Majalyn got his attention, "Link?"

Turning to look back as Zelda reached the doors, Majalyn waved her hand for him to come closer. Zelda looked toward them, and watched Link walking up the steps to meet her. When he did, she told him, "I have two requests to make of you."

Speaking amongst themselves, Link kept his voice as soft as she had when he asked her, "What are those?"

"The first is that, once you see Lyonel again, please tell him that Majalyn would not mind his audience if he has the time to spare."

"Done," Link nodded, then asked, "and the other favor?"

When he asked, Majalyn looked at Zelda for a moment, then at Link, and she told him, "Zelda is young, and there will be many obstacles she will have to face in order to gain a proper footing on the throne. In the mean time," Majalyn shook her head, "never treat her as if she is anything more than you are. I speak from personal experience when I say that it is always good to have a friend on the same level when rising up to royalty. If it weren't for Esair, I would not be as secure in my crown as I am now."

Hearing this, Link thought it over, knowing that the request wouldn't be hard for him to accomplish, though now that she'd mentioned it, he could definitely see the importance of it. Glancing back to her face, he affirmed this to her, "I have no qualms with that, my lady, whatsoever."

Nodding, Majalyn added, "I was simply worried. Knowing how she was not raised with her true family concerns me for her emotional well being, and I, as you, am interested in seeing the kingdom of Hyrule returned to a capable leader, which she will become, as long as she has a friend close by that she can relate to."

Link somehow couldn't help a smile, considering the way his relationship with Zelda was turning out, and he took her words to heart. "I'll remember that, my lady. Thank you for your concern."

"You are welcome," she replied with a nod of her head, "and thank you as well."

Still smiling, Link stood back and bowed to the Zora Queen formally and turned to go. As he headed across the marbled floor, pushing the doors open with Zelda, she asked, "What was that about?"

"She just wanted to ask me to tell Lyonel to come see her again sometime."

"It seemed like you were standing up there for longer than that," Zelda informed him, lifting a curious brow in his direction.

Smiling over her curiosity, Link just told her, "She had to ask me to make sure to watch out for you too. I think it's because she wanted to be certain you could adapt to being royalty because she's concerned for Hyrule as much as we are."

"I see," Zelda replied, flattered that the Queen of the Zoras would be so concerned with her well being. She didn't really have to consider it, but thinking over it, Zelda thought it was safe to say that she liked Queen Majalyn fairly well.

While she'd had the thought, walking beside of Link, his own thoughts had taken a slightly different path. Heading down the steps into the entrance hall with Zelda and back to the harbor they'd first arrived in, he considered Dragmire again, and the name Majalyn had spoken of. If he was right, then Ganondorf was actually Nabooru's son. He couldn't help but be shocked, and saddened by that.

The look on his face, as they headed up to the archway leading out to the docks, didn't miss Zelda's attention either, and stopping, she put her hand on his arm and asked, "Link, what happened back there, when Majalyn mentioned her sister?"

Link came to a stop and looked at Zelda quietly, his face still solemn. "I've heard the name Druno before, and I know it's the same person."

Confused, Zelda shook her head slowly. "Who is he?"

"The father of Nabooru's son, Ganondorf."

The news put a shocked expression on the Princess's face. Her eyes became wide, and she shook her head, "How is that possible?"

Link thought the story over that Nabooru had relayed to him of her son, and tried to remember the details of it so he could repeat it to her. "Nabooru went to Hyrule and met a man, and then conceived a child. The Gerudo only have a son once every hundred years, and she bore a boy. Before she had him, she saw the father only once, and due to his differing demeanor from when she'd known him before, he was kicked out of the valley. One night, from what Nabooru said, when her son was only a few months old, a bad sand storm came through the valley, and her son was gone when she woke up. She said the father's name was Druno and that he was on the court of Hyrule. It has to be him."

"That's terrible," Zelda shook her head as she drew the words out slowly, "I didn't even know Nabooru had lost a child" Just how many people had been affected by this whole nasty affair Dragmire had started seventeen years ago anyway, she wondered for a moment. Then she looked to the side and added, "And Dragmire has twisted him on top of it."

"I know," Link replied, those having been his initial thoughts over the whole thing. "I'd thought of that, and somehow I know that none of this would change anything if you told him the truth. All I have to do now is to decide what to tell Nabooru. She still yearns to have her son back, I think that's why she grew particularly fond of me, because we were close to the same age. But I can't tell her that her son is twisted and evil now. It would break her heart."

Frowning, Zelda, put a hand on his shoulder and rubbed it gently, telling him, "Don't worry about it for now. After all, it's not certain he's the same person he would have been if Nabooru had raised him, so in a sense, as much as I hate to say it, perhaps her son really is dead."

Link groaned. He knew that was a way to look at it, but he wasn't sure he could tell Nabooru that the next time he saw her. However, it wasn't the right time to consider it, so he just replied, "Well, when I get a chance to think it over, I'll figure out what to tell her. I just hope I don't see her until I do."

The words made Zelda give him an understanding look, able to sympathize with the burden the discovery put on his shoulders. He was right, and she knew she would have to be close by whenever they relayed the information to the woman, so she could help, saying the best idea was to tell her the full truth. But that was yet to be seen, and for now, they had a Temple to free. Tugging on his arm, she told Link, "Come on, let's just go see if the boat is ready or not. When we get done, we can decide what the best thing to do is."

Link gave her a nod and went with her. He just hoped the decision came easily to them. Nabooru had always been very good to him, her joking aside, which Link never really minded to begin with. He looked up to her, and even considered her a mother figure, so he knew telling her any type of truth, partial or full, would be hard to do.

But somehow he got the feeling there was plenty of time to think about it before he even got the chance to tell her. Focusing on the Temple instead, he saw Esair in front of them and went to see what the Zora had to offer in help of their quest.


	35. Temple of Water I

_Chapter 34 - Temple of Water I_

The sail boat traveled across the lake safely. It had taken the Zora very little time to fix the mast and the sails, and Link, sitting at the tiller this time, navigated while Zelda sat before him near the bow of the boat. They'd left Zora's domain with the items needed to enter the Temple of Water, and while Link steered, Zelda was considering those items now. Esair had given to them enchanted amulets to wear around their necks that would grant them the abilities of the Zora; water breathing, enhanced sight, as well as easier movement under water.

Another gift they'd been given was a bottle containing a blue flame, one which wouldn't go out once doused. The bottle would come in handy to illuminate the dark depths they'd most likely be journeying through, and that was the particular item Zelda was inspecting now, finding it to be one of the more intriguing things she'd seen yet in the magic world.

As she looked the bottle over, Link kept his eyes open for a shallow depth to stop at. Once he sighted waters a lighter blue than the rest, he stood and lowered the sails to slow their speed down. The snow was still falling, though much more lightly, and there was a break in the clouds, allowing some daylight, what was left of it, onto the lake. As he stood, Zelda pushed herself to the edge of the boat to have a look around at the scenery, trying to figure out if they could be close to the Temple or not judging from the place they'd been at when Link had first fallen overboard.

As she did so, she heard Link informing her, "I'll be back."

Turning to glance over at him in curiosity, she asked, "Where are you going?"

"This is about the same spot where I fell in before, isn't it?"

Having noticed that when she'd looked, she nodded and waited for his explanation. Stepping toward the edge of the boat where she sat, he told her, "I want to make sure I've got the right spot so we both don't walk forever. That way we don't lose our boat."

"Good idea," Zelda informed him as she used her hand to shade her eyes from the light of the sunset shining in through the broken clouds and looked up at him, "alright, I'll wait for you here then."

Giving her a smile and a nod, he put his boot on the edge of the boat and jumped, diving into the water. Submerging himself completely, the first thing he noticed was that, aside from the amulet around his neck beginning to glow a dark blue color, he could see incredibly well, right down to the fish swimming in the distance. The second thing he noticed was that, as he drew breath, it was as if he was still above the surface, and the surprising sensations made him look at the amulet for a moment as it drifted before his face slowly, letting a snort of amusement that showed up in a group of bubbles riding up to the surface above.

Not wasting anymore time, he turned his eyes to the distance to scan the area, and then began to swim when he thought he'd located the proper spot to check out.

Sitting on the deck of the boat, Zelda looked down into the water quietly, waiting patiently for Link to emerge and inform her of whether or not they were in the right position. She considered their efforts to dry their clothing and wondered for a moment why they'd even tried. It made her smirk, and she looked down at the amulets around her neck now. In doing so, she also considered in addition to drying her dress out just before she was to take a swim again, she'd had to chose a garment that showed off her necklace for once, didn't she? She was just worried it might slip off in the deep, but made a note in her mind to keep a close eye on the item at all times.

It was then that she was distracted from those thoughts when she heard splashing behind her. The sound caused her to turn around, spying Link about teen feet out from the boat on her opposite side. Pushing herself back, she moved to the opposite edge of the boat she'd been leaning against and looked over it at him while he swam up to her.

"What did you see?"

His movements, she noticed, seemed to be made with ease because of the amulet he wore, and once at the side of the boat, Link gripped the edge with one hand and pointed in the direction he'd come from. "It's over there." Then he looked up at her and added, "Hand me the rope."

Nodding, Zelda turned and spotted the wound up rope sitting near her on the deck, grabbing it and handing him the end of it.

Taking the item into his fingers, he pulled as much of it down into the water as he could to give himself some leverage. "Thanks," he said as he did, "I'm going to drag the boat over and tether it."

The words made her blink in confusion. "Tether it to what?"

"There's a few rocks down there that are shallow enough to keep the boat stationary incase it floats away while we're gone."

"Oh, and what if the guardian accidentally runs into it?"

"Actually, I saw him a minute ago. I don't think the rocks will let him cause much of a problem."

She just smirked when he told her that, and Link didn't add anything else to the conversation, just dove under the surface again. As he did, she watched the rope going further and further into the water until the boat suddenly jerked, and she slipped off of her seat on the wooden bar and onto the deck. The motion made her gasp, and looking up, she muttered, "Go easy there, Link."

Pushing herself up, she decided to go ahead and jump into the water herself, resisting the urge to close her eyes or hold her nose, and in doing so, she leapt forward and found herself completely submerged again. Learning the same things Link had, she spied him below and ahead of her, tying the rope securely to a jagged rock that wouldn't allow the rope to slip off, using his boot to pull the knot as tight as he could before he released it.

With the motions completed, he turned to go get her, but realized she was already swimming toward him, and he smirked. Swimming was somehow much faster with the amulets on, easier, and considering the source of their easy mobility, Link took his and put it inside of his shirt just incase it tried to drift off of his neck while they were inside of the temple.

Zelda, seeing him doing as much, grumbled in her head while she looked at her own amulet drifting before her, both of them, and without the proper type of top to hide them, she remembered to keep her eyes closely on them. Grabbing them for good measure, she saw Link motioning with his arm for her to follow, and she swam in behind him, heading down to where the large rock wall resided, the same wall sporting the door to the Temple of Water.

Once they reached it, they found that there was a barred metal grate blocking their entrance, and Zelda looked over as Link swam up to it and took it in his hands. She knew his gauntlets, received in the Temple of Fire, would help him to break down the barrier, and watched as he pulled on the bars with a good bit of strength behind his efforts. Air bubbles rose from his lips as he strained the muscle in his arms to try and pry the barred grate open, if not completely free, of blocking their path.

A loud metal ping sounded, then two more, and the bars came free. With the force he had been exerting, he flipped in a backwards circle with the newly broken door he was holding onto before the heavy metal fell to rest on the floor of the lake, leaving him in the aftermath with a shake of his head. Zelda grinned over the movement, and as she watched him, something caught her eye. It was laying on the rocky surface of the lake's bottom, and moving toward Link, she pointed it out.

Glancing over, he narrowed his brows in curiosity, and moved in to see what the weeds growing over the item glowing about ten feet away from the door could have been hiding. Once he reached it, he started pulling the plant life away as fish swam over his head, and he saw a broken pedestal with a Myriad Stone laying next to it. The stone still seemed to be working however, and Link looked up at Zelda, knowing they wouldn't be able to speak to her, but she would be able to talk to them, so he wondered if they should use it or not.

Zelda gave him a nod, and so he decided to see if Myriad had anything to tell them before they entered the Temple. As he touched the stone, knowing he couldn't speak and neither could Zelda, they just awaited a reply.

After a brief moment, one came, "You must be completely submerged in water now, and I have to say I'm a bit surprised the stone of Lake Hylia was left in tact once the Temple was sunk. I'm happy you've managed to figure out the puzzle surrounding the guardian as well. Take this stone with you and return it to the Zoras once you've released the consumed power of the Water Temple. This way, they can be informed as I am on the progress of Hyrule's restoration."

Hearing this, both Link and Zelda considered it to be a good idea, and Link pulled the stone up in order to put it into one of his pouches. Once he'd done so, he used his legs to push himself away from the floor of the lake and toward the door, glancing back to be sure Zelda was following him. When he did, a shadow passed overhead. The shadowed out light of the late day overlooking the surface of the lake made him glance up, and when Zelda reached him, she stopped to glance as well.

They saw the belly of the guardian about thirty feet above them, the patterns marking his body in spotted lines giving him a unique beauty they'd never seen before, and it was a sight they couldn't help but take in while the creature waved it's tail back and forth while moving slowly, sailing off into the distance.

As the light began to shine in again, both of them smiled and looked to one another, Zelda motioning with her head to go. Turning, they began to move forward.

The corridor ahead was dark, which reminded Zelda of the blue flame they had in a bottle. Tugging it from her pouch, she held the glowing light up, and as they moved, Link turned and set his feet on the floor, coming to the edge of the bricked wall, a small school of minnows swimming past him. Zelda inched toward him as he looked into the room beyond to see that nothing dangerous lay in wait, setting her own feet on the ground behind him. Having to rely on hand signals, when she saw Link waving his hand, she found it strange that she could both swim and walk at the same time, but she took a step forward and felt as if she were above the water instead of submerged in it almost, except for her floating hair and clothes.

The one thing she wished she'd done beforehand was tie her hair into a bun, and reaching for the band that held the upper half back, she untied it and put it all into a ponytail in order to help. Once she'd managed to get the blonde mass under control, she looked up to see that the room they'd entered, as dark as it was, was tall and square shaped with patterns lining the tops and bottoms of the walls. It contained four doors leading to different locations as well, one on the roof, two on each side, and one on the far wall. The one on the roof however appeared to not be flooded by water completely, a shaft that led up to an aired out area with a door above it, as if whatever air might have been left inside when the temple sank had gotten stuck there.

The two of them walked beneath the square shaft and looking up beneath the door, they spied something very similar to a previous Temple they'd been in, but a sight they hadn't seen in that Temple until they'd almost gone completely through it.

It was sealed shut completely with some type of magical energy, the very same as the door they'd found in the Temple of Fire. Zelda knew, if she could reach it, she'd be able to break the seal and enter it, but currently, reaching it was impossible. The water didn't reach high enough to be able to even touch it.

Link had spied the puzzling door as well, and he sighed over the fact that it was out of reach, a calvary of bubbles escaping his lips when he did. Looking at her, he waved his hands between the other three doors they actually _could_ enter, and Zelda knew he was asking which way first. So she glanced back and forth, then to the door residing before the front corridor. Holding out her hand, just being random for now, she told him without words 'this way'.

Taking her suggestion to heart, he pushed himself off of the floor again and swam with her toward the door, entering it and setting his feet on the ground so he didn't rush headfirst into any bad situations. The corridor was still dark, but as they went, Zelda found a torch, and she decided to use it. Link waited while she pulled the torch down and then opened the bottle, the fire coming out and raising up, catching the end of the stick and igniting it, making things much brighter for them both.

Link used the illumination to glance about, seeing that there were a group of fish sitting near the end of the chamber, and he pulled his sword as he saw their sharp teeth, getting the feeling they weren't friendly creatures at all. Carefully, he approached them, and when they saw him, they started swimming forth in a swift rush with their jaws parting.

Link pulled up his shield as one bashed into it, swinging his blade at another that was trying to take a bite out of his side, slicing it in half with ease before turning his blade to the other and giving it the same treatment with a deft blow that was precise in angle, spearing the second piranha completely. The corpses of the fish began to float upwards, and Link looked over at Zelda who headed past him with a smile when the danger had been dispatched of for them both. Seeing the smile, he stood up straight and pushed some of his blonde hair from his face, then headed down the hallway with her, smirking as he went.

Since attacks could come at all angles beneath the surface, Link's hands began to glow as he invoked the shield that had been taught to him in the fairy cave, just incase something were to swim at him too quickly to notice. Those thoughts aside, once he was done casting the spell, the one thing he noticed was that a loud sound was coming from the chamber ahead of them, and carefully, he headed toward it. It was a snapping sound, a constant buzz, and as they reached the end of the corridor, a bright light passed by it.

Coming to a stop, sword and shield still drawn, he looked in to see what appeared to be some kind of atrium, with four columns surrounding its center square, bubbles rising from a vent in the floor into an unknown corridor on the ceiling. There was a lever of some type resting near the door as well, and Link went ahead and pull it, but nothing happened. Supposing what the lever did must have already been in action, he glanced toward the third element swimming about the room, a large Eel, which was the source of the sound they'd heard. It's body was constantly igniting in electricity, and Link watched as it whipped around and electrified the area surrounding it.

As the Eel moved toward the door of the room they stood in, making the two of them back away slowly because it's body was still covered in electricity, it turned and lashed its tail, causing Link to draw up his shield in order to prevent being hurt. The lash was properly blocked, but the electrical current it sent into his shield knocked the item away from his arm.

When the eel turned back in order to charge at them both after making the swift attack, Zelda's hands glowed blue and she drew them to the side, performing a spell she hadn't often had the chance to, and turning her hand in to her side, a barrage of ice with sharply pointed tips formed before the both of them and swung about their bodies swiftly, spreading out in an arc. The Eel, hit by the ice, slicing through it's body and impaling it before it could reach them, was knocked backwards by the magic, killing it on impact. Slowly, it began to float to the surface of the room, its body still producing electrical charges sporadically.

Link watched this before reaching for his lost shield, and lifting the item up, he put it back on his arm. Looking over at Zelda, lifting a single brow at the attack she'd performed, she just shrugged her shoulders and waved her hands as if trying to convey something to him.

Link narrowed his brows in confusion and Zelda rolled her eyes, holding up her hands as if to tell him to wait, that she would explain later that she'd known that spell for a long time now. Nodding his head slowly, guessing it'd have to wait, he looked back to the center of the four columns and the air bubbles rising up through it, into the square shaft at the top of the room. As they neared it, they could both feel the pull of the water, and Zelda saw the amulet she wore around her neck raising up from her skin because of the vacuum the vent had created. Reaching for the necklace, she pushed it back down so it wouldn't get sucked off.

Link, holding onto one of the columns while looking up into the shaft, saw that there was a metal grate blocking the path to the room connected above it, so they couldn't go that way. Apparently they'd reached another dead end. With a shake of his head, he looked at Zelda and pointed up, shaking his head to her that they couldn't go that way.

Nodding her understanding to him, a whoosh of water could be heard, and Link looked behind her to see another piranha, this one much bigger than the others, swimming in behind Zelda. Unable to tell her to duck, Link reached out and grabbed her, pulling her toward himself near the column. As the piranha moved in to attack, he turned his arm with a slashed attack to the creatures head, then back again, cutting the cranium in two swiftly before it could reach them.

The jerky movements had startled Zelda, having not expected Link to tug on her the way he had, and she lost her grip on her amulets. When she did, the vent sucked the both of them upwards swiftly with enough force to pull them off of her neck completely. She reached to grab them as swiftly as she could, but her fingers only caught the chain of her ancestry, the gift from the Zora going up the shoot and through the metal grate above their heads, becoming lost for now.

Almost immediately, as Link had sliced the piranha open, Zelda felt the need for breath, and he turned to look at her when she tugged on his shirt. She patted her chest and pointed up the shoot while she held her blue amulet clutched in her fingers still, showing she could no longer breath under water.

Link looked up, then back at her, and swiftly he went to reach for his own amulet to give to her.

Zelda stopped him and shook her head, then pointed down the hallway where they'd come from. When she did that, he remembered the air they'd seen trapped in the first upward corridor they'd come across, so he grabbed her arm and slung it over his shoulders, pushing himself away from the floor with all haste.

Swimming through the corridor, moving much faster than she would have been able to without her amulet, dragging her along, he found the door on the ceiling and moved up into it, carrying her until her head reached the surface and they both lifted above the water quickly. Zelda gasped in a deep breath as soon as they did and started coughing slightly, rubbing her eyes of the water she'd been submerged in.

Floating there next to her, Link asked, "Is everything all right?"

"Yes," she nodded, gasping her breath in still. "I didn't want to take your amulet because if there's a toss up between the two of us, you'd have a much better chance of getting through this Temple safely. You can find the necklace and bring it back to me. Besides, this is the door we have to get through in the end anyway."

Still breathing heavily as he watched her, Link knew she was right, and he guessed that this corridor was safe enough for her to be left in alone. But it had to be since she wouldn't be able to breath or move much underwater now, so he really had no choice in the matter. Nodding his head finally, he looked up at the sealed door above them glowing softly, and he saw that there were hooks lining the walls around it. Moving toward one wall, he reached up, but the hooks were too far out of reach, and he gave up after a second.

Turning back around to face her, he said, "Alright, I'll be back to check on you if I don't find the necklace any time soon." Looking down, he reached into his pouch and pulled out the Myriad Stone they'd found on the floor of Lake Hylia and handed it to her. "This will free up a pouch, incase I come across something I need to carry."

Nodding, Zelda took the stone and placed it into a pouch on her own belt, then she looked over at him, replying, "Alright. I'll just wait here for you. By the way, I dropped the torch in the room with the vent in it. You can go back to get it though."

"I'll do that," he replied, finishing his reorganization, making sure he was prepared.

"Link, be careful."

Hearing those words, he looked up to see her watching him, apparently a little concerned that he had to go alone for now. The look made him smirk as if he weren't bothered at all by the prospect, which made her feel much better.

"I will," he reassured her, leaning in to kiss her even though he remembered what they'd agreed upon. It was a short kiss, but meaningful nonetheless, and as he pulled back, he gave her a little smile and then dove back under the water again. Zelda just grinned after he dove, and watched him disappearing into the depths to find her necklace and a way to get to the door above her head now.

After several moments, she sighed in the silence and looked around her temporary living space.

"Well this is exciting," she muttered to herself and splashed the water idly with pursed lips.

---

Link felt like he could pull his hair out. This Temple was nothing but a maze of rooms on top of more rooms, and while the Temple of Fire wasn't a place he considered returning to, this Temple he wanted to burn down when they were done there. Some levers, he realized, opened certain grates, others either reversed or shut off vents completely, and still others just seemed to open doors before slipping back into place, making entering the door almost impossible before it shut again.

More of those Eels were swimming about as well, and he realized that trying to swipe at them with his sword when they were electrified was a bad idea. The problem was that every time he tried to block an attack with his shield, the zap would knock it off of his arm, so he had to make sure to use evasive maneuvers instead of just blocking the blows until he got a clear shot at its body with his sword.

On the way into a particularly large room that had a barred vent rising through the center of the floor all the way to the ceiling, he found an actual treasure chest along with a lever, and he was a little surprised over the chest in itself. Opening it, he found several rupees, and a message in a bottle, which had an air tight seal he knew he couldn't break unless it ruined the letter inside of it because of the water he was currently submerged in, so he stuck it in his pouch and took it with him incase it was something important.

In that same room, there was a barred shaft with air bubbles rising up swiftly. He wondered if the room where Zelda had lost her amulet was below him now, and he took the bars into his hands in order to better glance up. Just above his head was a metal grate, and he realized it had to be the same room, looking over at the lever with a smirk. That was what he needed tp pull to pass through the vent on the first floor.

Moving toward it, he reached to pull the device, when motion caught his attention in the form of a shadow cast by a few torches that were lit in the room. Swiftly, he rolled out of the way and drew his sword as an axe came down almost on top of him. When he came to, he saw a suit of aquatic armor in a teal blue color that seemed to be moving of its own accord, lifting its axe back from the floor in order to attack the Hylian again.

Link pushed himself off of the floor when the knight lifted his axe and swung it at him a second time. Floating in the water instead of landing on the ground again as he would have if he were above the surface, Link turned in what would have been midair so that his legs hit the ceiling of the room, then pushed himself toward the knight with his sword held at the ready before himself.

Passing the knight, he drew his blade through its helmet, reaching out with his free hand as he collided with the floor in order to stop himself in his quick descent safely. Upside down behind the knight now, he pushed himself up again when the enemy turned swiftly to try once more to hack at him, the blade of his axe barely missing Link, slicing through his cheek, as Link once again jabbed for his opponent's helmet.

Managing another blow despite the cut he'd received, the knight reeled back, but then grabbed for Link's throat with his opposite arm and jerked the Hylian forward, throwing him so that he was on his back against the floor. Turning and lifting the axe, Link rolled out of the way and floated off of the ground, settling his boots on the floor into a crouched position before he glanced back at his enemy while the aqua knight stood up. The movement left the knight vulnerable, and with a stream of bubbles rising from Link's mouth, he pushed himself forward again, baring his teeth as the tip of the Master Sword sparked against the floor.

As the knight stood up straight completely and tried to turn around to locate his enemy, Link rose through the water past him and turned his body in a circle, drawing his blade around swiftly, cleaving the helmet from the rest of the armor without much fuss at all. As he did so, the aqua knight's armor fell apart and drifted to the floor slowly in pieces while Link settled his boots down again behind it.

Smirking over his handy work, he lifted his blade and pushed it down into the sheath on his back, then turned away. Walking to the lever, he pulled the switch back, and heard metal grinding. Looking back up into the barred shaft he'd been inspecting before, he saw the grate opening. With a smirk, he decided to head to the room where Zelda had lost her amulet to see if he could pass through yet or not.

Swimming back down to the entrance chamber, Link glanced up at the roof of the room to see Zelda still adrift there safely. He'd been back to see her once or twice and let her know he hated the place, and apparently she was bored almost to tears herself. It made him smirk, knowing he needed to get her necklace back as soon as possible now so she could help him once again. With the thought in mind, he declined to go up to see her again and instead went on to find the vent in the room ahead of him.

Swimming along, heading toward the bubbles, he let them lift him up and through the shoot finally, rising more and more swiftly, until he shot out of the shaft and into a water-less chamber, flying through the air and coming down on the floor in a roll. Coming to an abrupt stop, dripping wet as he glanced up and around, he saw several blue torches lining the walls of the somewhat small room, and another chest contained behind a basic set of bars that he couldn't pass through. Sitting next to it was yet another lever as well.

"Alright, this is ridiculous. Who builds these Temples anyway?"

After grumbling his notions of annoyance out, he took another look around, specifically at the floor, and noticed Zelda's Zora Amulet resting near by the shaft he'd risen up through. Leaning down, he picked it up and stuck it into his pouch, then went over to the lever, getting the feeling he already knew what it did. It would simply stop the flow of water instead of opening the bars to the caged chest, and surely enough, when he turned the lever, the bubbling water began to slowly lay flat.

"Figures," he sighed, "I guess I'll have to get Zelda so she can teleport into the cage."

Moving back to the square hole in the floor, he jumped down and began to swim back to give Zelda her the Zora Amulet she'd lost.


	36. Temple of Water II

_Chapter 35 - Temple of Water II_

Zelda had waited patiently for Link to return again, trying to scale the wall of the corridor she was wading in so that maybe she could reach the sealed door above herself and break the magic locking it, but she just couldn't get to it. Eventually she'd just given up and reserved her strength for the moment. Quite a few times while she waited there between visits from Link, she'd thought to contact Myriad just to have something to do, deciding that perhaps she could just to let Myriad know exactly where they were. It was starting to look like a better idea all of the time.

Pulling the stone out, she turned the glowing orb and pressed her hand across it in order to contact the Sage, but nothing happened at first. Her brows narrowed at the stone in curiosity, and as she wondered why there was no response, she could sense something in turn herself. It felt as if she were being contacted by someone else, and with that thought in mind, remembering what Myriad had said of her being the seventh Sage, able to receive messages through the stones if her telepathic ability was strong enough, she closed her eyes to concentrate on what she was currently feeling to see if she could hear it.

When she did, Zelda could see glimpses, vague at first, and weak, but growing stronger and stronger the more she tried to see them. Suddenly she gasped softly. As they became clearer, she could see death and despair, towns and villages being attacked by a group of what looked like human soldiers with the heads of black jackals, their eyes glowing red as they killed those in their path, including women and innocent children, setting their homes to fire, destroying crops, horses, and lives altogether. Those they didn't kill were put under the whip, made to work hard under inhumane conditions, several of which would simply die of slowly of illness later more than likely.

In the distance she could hear a maniacal laughter, and words spoken that shocked her completely.

Zelda lost her grasp on the stone in the emotional state she'd been worked into, and the white orb fell swiftly through the water below her with a loud tap against the stone floor. The visions broke and her eyes opened, tears streaming down her cheeks. Taking several deep breaths to try to calm herself down, she whispered, "This can't be," knowing she'd just glimpsed plans Ganondorf was setting forth by the words she'd heard him saying alone.

_This is just a small taste of what's soon to come to Hyrule alone..._

He'd been showing Myriad, no doubt to try to torment her, images of what he was planning, and Zelda knew that what she'd seen hadn't come into place yet, but she also knew that he was planning on doing this soon. She hadn't heard everything however, had essentially stepped into the middle of a conversation, and shaken up over the images, wanting to know more, to contact Myriad when Ganondorf was no longer interfering by touching one of the stones himself, she spied the dull light from the floor far below her and took in a few breaths.

Holding the last one, she dove under the water and began to swim down towards the stone so that she could grab it again and take it up to the surface once more, try to contact the Sage and find out what was going on exactly. Were these events to take place soon, or was there still time to stop them from happening at all? As she worked her way through the dull, murky water, she reached out to the floor and took the stone back into her fingers once again.

Down one of the corridors swam a piranha, moving in slowly behind the diving Hylian Princess, and the large fish spotted her. When it did, with the resounding whoosh of water it began to swim through while it opened its jaws, it lunged in to attack the unwitting royal.

Zelda had just turned upright with the stone in her hand when she saw the fish heading her way. By the time she would have been able to get her mind to snap to so that she could react, the fish would have already attacked her, and she jolted suddenly. A barrage of air bubbles flooded from her mouth quickly when Link pushed her to the side seemingly out of no where, the Piranha swimming right past just in time to miss them both completely. Link had no idea why Zelda had dove down to get the stone when she knew he would retrieve it once he'd returned, but he didn't think about it in that moment.

The piranha had turned around to attack again, and knowing this enemy wouldn't be hard to take down, he didn't even bother pulling his shield out, only drew his sword in order to hack its life from its body. As he did this, Zelda pushed herself upwards, rising back into the corridor where air awaited her, and as she surfaced, she took a deep breath.

What had she been thinking!? Link could have brought it back to her, and she knew that while she needed to know if the visions she'd seen had been close at hand or further away, there was no way she could have taken care of it now anyway. Feeling the fear she'd witnessed at the hands of the visions, and the shame of the mistake she'd just made in going after the stone when she could have been injured or killed made her begin to cry in earnest.

As she did, the water next to her splashed upwards, Link surfacing in front of her, and when he did, shaking his hair out of his eyes, he asked, "What were you doing?"

He'd sounded somewhat angry, and the tone of voice didn't help her any, a new stream of tears rolling down her cheeks. Seeing her current state of being, Link's brows narrowed, able to tell that something more was wrong than simply being attacked by the piranha, otherwise she wouldn't be sobbing now. "Zelda?"

She turned away from him in shame, and as she did, Link shook his head and put an arm around her waist to tug her over toward himself. "Don't cry, I was angry, but only because you could've been hurt."

"No," she shook her head, trying to push his arm away, but he wouldn't budge as she told him, "you're right, that was stupid and I really could have been killed just now. I didn't even see it until you pushed me out of the way. But," she started, hiccuping due to how she'd been crying, "I had to know, I had to get the stone back."

Hearing that, Link knew she must have spoken with Myriad while he'd been gone and found out something very bad in order to be reacting this way. Perhaps it was a combination of whatever she'd heard with what she'd done when she'd dove to get the stone. It must have been the urgency to know that had led her to dive after it despite the fact that her senses would have been incredibly dulled to attacks and that's why she felt so bad now, realizing she'd let her urgent state get the best of her.

With a soft sigh, Link turned her around to face him, asking with concern, "What happened?"

"I saw the most terrible things," she informed him, wiping her eyes as she spoke. "It was Ganondorf. He was trying to show images to Myriad of what he was planning to do to Hyrule, and I saw them too, because I'm a Sage. It was so horrible I dropped the stone, and I wanted to see if I could actually speak to Myriad, so I went to get it." She gasped in her breath, trying to calm herself down.

Hearing this, Link tightened his grip around her in a hug, unable to help a sigh of breath over the situation. When he'd come across her diving and saw the piranha attacking her, he hadn't been sure what to think outside of his instincts to stop it from happening. But he was still curious over what she'd seen as well, and he asked, "What is it he's planning? What did you see?"

She shook her head, whimpering out, "He's planning to destroy everything, all the towns, homes, people, anyone who opposes him. He wants to attack Hyrule itself. I could see it like I can see you now. These...soldiers that had the heads of Jackals, slaughtering innocent people."

Hearing this, Link's expression grew grim. He was going to attack Hyrule itself? For what purpose? There were, he could see, so many questions surrounding it that he understood her need now to dive into danger to try and find out more, and the emotional state of seeing such images had probably left her better judgement a good bit impaired. Only one question was on his mind to ask about it in that moment however.

"Has he done it yet?"

"No, not as far as I could see."

"Then," Link started, pulling his face back from the hug he'd given her so she would look at him, "we don't need to worry about it right now. We have to unleash the power of this Temple. Once we do, we'll weaken him, and then we can go back to Hyrule and stop whatever he's planned."

She knew he was right. She couldn't let what she'd just seen compromise her judgement. Taking a deep breath to fortify herself, she nodded her head, then told him, "I'll be fine. Just," she trailed a bit, "seeing that wasn't very pleasant. I'm sorry I made such a stupid mistake."

"Don't be sorry," Link told her, "you just," he sighed out his breath over the words he was about to say, continuing, "scared me, that's all."

Hearing that, she frowned and apologized again, feeling fresh tears starting to surface, and in seeing them, Link stopped them with a reassuring kiss to let her know his anger over having been scared so badly really had abated like he'd told her. Though a brief kiss meant to comfort her, breaking off after only a few seconds, Zelda felt her cheeks blushing still anyway, almost feeling as if she hadn't deserved that.

Seeing the blush, he gave her a little smile, and reached into her pouch to lift the Zora Amulet up that he'd found. "Here, I managed to find it in a room where there's a caged chest that I know you can teleport into and open it. So, let's get this done before anything dire can occur. Alright?"

"Alright," she nodded, letting him put the necklace back around her throat. Watching him while he did so, she noticed his cheek had been sliced open, a red scratch there across his skin which prompted her to ask, "Are you okay?" She gingerly touched the skin around the scratch as she asked, letting him know what she'd seen to raise the question.

Link nodded and replied, "I'm fine. Just a bad set of armor that thought my head was target practice I guess. Let's just go back to that room."

Zelda frowned over the words, somehow feeling a little cheated. She could have helped him if she hadn't lost her amulet, and the thought made her grumble. But, with a sigh of breath, she knew it was too late for that now. Besides, maybe she'd lost it for a reason, so that she would have used to Myriad Stone when she did, and glimpse Ganondorf's plans. Perhaps it was all fated to happen so they could be prepared for it.

Considering this was a likely case, Zelda finally replied to Link, "After you," and once he'd dove under, she followed him, trying to forget the troubling images she'd seen on top of everything else, just wanting to get the spirit essence of this Temple unleashed now finally.

Link took her back to the room where the vent was located. The lever in the room had been turned so that the flow of bubbles was back on, something Link had done when he'd dove back down through the shaft, and so now they could reach the top once again. As they approached it, Link, knowing the force with which they would be shot upward, took Zelda into his arms to carry her and let the water rush them both up through the shaft until they became airborne.

Landing in a crouch and steadying himself, he set her down, letting go of her once she had her footing. Once she did, he waved his hand at the chest. Walking over to it, he asked her, "Do you think you have enough magic power right now to teleport in and back out again?"

"Oh yes," she nodded, "the increased power of the Fairy Maiden we spoke to is definitely enough to allow me as much, if not even more than that."

"Good," he replied, glad to hear she'd been able to do so much more since they'd first began their journey, which somehow seemed like ages ago now. Waiting for her to perform the task, he went back to the lever in order to pull it so they could leave through the vent without a problem. Teleporting inside, Zelda reached for the chest, and she pushed the top of it open, blinking at what was inside.

Taking the item into her hands, she said, "Well this might actually help us get through the door in the main room."

"What is it?"

Pulling the device out, she turned around and showed him that it was a hookshot, which would be capable of pulling them out of the water in the entrance chamber high enough that Zelda could reach the door and break the seal. Teleporting back out of the cage and handing the device to him, she smiled as he looked it over with an inquisitive expression, putting his finger on the trigger while he said, "Well, it looks pretty useful in a lot of ways."

With a nod of her head, she walked back over to the vent shaft and lifted a brow. She hadn't actually seen him pulling the lever, and she asked, "Why have the bubbles stopped?"

"Oh, that," Link drew out as he walked over, carrying the hookshot in his hand. He looked thoughtful for a moment, pursed his lips a bit, and then glanced at her, asking, "Do you remember how the Temple of Fire had levers and puzzles in it that we had to figure out in order to make it to the next area?"

"Yes," she replied with a nod.

"Well, let's just say, if Ganondorf _does_ start attacking Hyrule, he can start with this Temple."

Zelda shook her head, asking, "That bad huh?" With a sigh and a slight smile, she turned to the water in order to jump down, asking, "Is that what took you so long?"

The question made Link's brows flatten as he stared at her. Zelda was trying not to snicker too much when she suddenly gasped as he tugged her over and told her, "Yep," before he jumped into the water with her, making her yell in surprise.

Once submerged, Zelda looked up at Link to see him putting the hookshot on his belt and then glancing over at her with a grin. She gave him a narrowed brow and pursed lips, then rolled her eyes and just turned to swim away. That same grin still in tact, he followed in behind her and swam back to the entrance chamber, pulling out the hookshot he'd just received. Aiming the device up at the wall where the chains were, he pulled the trigger.

Once he had, the chain shot forth from the handle at a swift pace and hooked itself into the wall. Link lifted a brow, and Zelda moved toward him, putting an arm around his shoulder. Link let her as he wondered 'now what', then realized if he released the trigger, the chain would pull them both up, so he let go, and with a strong tug, they were both drawn up toward the wall near the door.

The water splashed as they were pulled from it, and Link landed with his boots in place against the wall, holding Zelda against himself.

"Alright, this is my new favorite toy," he smirked, looking over at her. Seeing her grin, he asked, "Is this high enough?"

She was unable to help smiling over his fondness of the hookshot she'd retrieved for him, and nodded her head while she reached up and placed her hands onto the ornately carved door that would lead them up into the chamber where the dark orb consuming the spirit essence of the Temple was undoubtedly located. Upon touching it, her necklace shimmered brightly, and she used her power to break the seal with a loud whir of energy until the glowing seal broke completely.

"Got it," she informed him once she felt the power binding the portal shut draining away, then grabbed the latch and pushed it up and open.

With Link's help, she grabbed the edge and he let go of her once she'd said she'd gotten a good hold. Link turned and grabbed the edge himself right next to her, and grunted as he tugged himself up onto his arm. Reaching over while she pushed herself into the room, he offered a hand in pushing her so she wouldn't fall back into the water, then worked his own way onto the floor above them.

There was a lever like a hammer on the back of his hookshot he'd gotten the feeling would release the hook at the end of the chain, and pulling it, the chain detached from the wall and began to suck back into the body of the device without a problem. While it did, Link looked around the large chamber they'd just entered.

The walls looked clean despite the years of time that had passed since anyone had been there, bricked and painted an off white color, and on the floor lay six pools situated geometrically around each other in a type of ovular shape throughout the room. Blue flames burned on the walls by torches, and in an alcove high above where they more than likely couldn't reach without the hookshot they'd just received, rested the large black orb that had consumed the Temple's power, settled on a pedestal between two large, burning candelabra's.

Zelda would have beseeched Link to go destroy the orb as soon as she'd spied it, but she got the feeling that whenever they approached it, they would have been blocked by some type of new creature that they hadn't seen before which would bar their path. Looking over in Link's direction, she told him, "I've got a blue rupee saying that the moment we try to reach it, something jumps out at us."

The words made Link smirk. "Maybe if I use the hookshot, it won't happen. Let's see, shall we?"

Zelda waved her hand as if to tell him to go right ahead. In doing so, Link took the device and slowly aimed it at the ceiling over the ledge of the alcove the black orb was settled in. Getting a good spot to latch onto, he heard the water in the six pools around him bubbling like something was coming.

Zelda shook her head slowly with a sigh, stepping over toward him. "See," she muttered out, "just like we thought." As the occurrences began to happen, she made a promise inside of her head that she wouldn't allow herself to make another mistake like she had when she'd dropped the Myriad Stone. This time, she would be prepared for anything and use her better judgement.

Link lowered the hookshot and put it back on his belt, watching the pools while they bubbled with a shake of his head in agreement with Zelda's words. The six pools started coming to life, the water rising up and out of them, moving with a life of it's own, floating in midair as globes which became stationary for a few moments.

It was fairly swiftly that two of the six globes of water shot across the room and began to roll up wall and toward the alcove containing the dark orb, creating a barrier on it that would keep Link and Zelda from reaching it.

The remaining four globes began to suck in more of the pools water, growing bigger and bigger until they also began to move quickly, shooting toward one another, causing a wet explosion that formed int a distinct shape, six tentacle like arms sprouting from the main body in order to form what was a large, blue squid.

The head of the creature had a tough, spined shell protecting it with a line of sharp spikes across it. Each tentacle was fairly long as well, with spikes sticking out of the tips on top of their reach, making it more dangerous than it could have been commonly.

Standing back as the creature formed there, sword and shield at the ready, Link sighed softly, "They just keep getting more and more ugly."

"You took the words out of my mouth," came Zelda's reply, and as the floors began to rumble when the creature moved, she steadied herself while they both watched it climbing up and along one wall, toward the ceiling. It seemed to be able to move somewhat swiftly for its size, but it didn't move all that fast. Still, it's armored head and long reach of tentacles made up for it's lack of speed in mobility. Link got the feeling that if he wanted to cause this monster any real damage, he'd have to be able to expose its underside somehow, the area of the mouth around which all of the tentacles were connected, and as the Squid moved onto the ceiling of the room, he wondered, aside from his hookshot, how he was supposed to get to it to do that.

While the squid pushed itself along, while she did, it came to a stop at the center of the pools below itself, over their heads. Looking up, watching carefully, it raised its tentacles up above its head and then turned them, slamming all six of them into the ceiling it was clinging to.

With narrowed brows over this movement, Link and Zelda felt a rumbling in the floor without warning as suddenly the arms sprang up from the six pools located around them. The new threat took no time in waiting either, the arms reaching out to attack immediately.

As this happened, Link was forced to evade a swung limb, jumping out of the way, and then rolling to the side when he saw a second limb coming down to try and crush him. Zelda had the same problem, forced to rush out of the way as she was attacked just as harshly.

They became separated due to the movements, and Link could do nothing for her but to take out the limbs barring his path, and hope that she could manage to keep herself safe while he did. Pushing himself up, he moved into one of the limbs and began to tear the Master Sword through it, hearing the monster above them squeal as he sucked his arm back into the water again far enough that Link had one less tentacle to worry about.

Hearing the sound, Zelda looked to see what had happened, and just as she did, a tentacle grabbed her and wrapped around her waist. Gasping, she grabbed the limb as she was lifted into the air, realizing she was about to be thrown into a wall more than likely. Disallowing this to happen, she teleported out of the tentacles grasp and onto the other side of it. When she reappeared, she made good on her promise to now allow herself to be victimized again, drawing up her red glowing hands to set a shock of fire into the tentacle. The orbs she summoned flew forth swiftly and slammed into the monster's flesh, causing the arm that had grabbed her to jolt back.

Another of the appendages lashed down at her, and she disappeared again, the short distances at which she was evading the grasp of the arms to not enough to fatigue her too quickly at all, unleashing another burst of first into a second tentacle of the monster as she reappeared behind it again. The fire caused that limb to suck back down into the pool where it'd come from like the first, all while the first was slowly rising back up out of the water again.

Coming to a stop for a moment, she looked over to see Link had pulled his shield up when the spiked tips of a tentacle tried to ram into his head, using his left arm to slash through the bash another tentacle as the creature squealed and sucked its arm back down before he spun quickly and tore through the arm above his head. His movements had been precise, and Zelda moved away from where she'd been standing in order to keep herself on her toes since she was able to combat this beast as well as he was in this instance.

By this time, most of the arms had been completely sucked down into the water, dealt enough damage that they weren't coming back out again, two of them left. One of them was raising back as Link had jumped to avoid it's sibling swinging at him.

In that moment, a red orb flew over his head, and as it slammed into the threatening appendage, it set fire, causing Link to look back and see that Zelda had used some of her magic in order to stop the arm completely. He hadn't been oblivious to her swift movements and show of magic skill before when evading the tentacles while he'd been trying to reach her, and to be rather honest, it had impressed him a great bit. After all, she'd performed some type of ice spell when they'd first entered the Temple that he hadn't seen yet, so it wasn't at all that he didn't think she could do it - he knew she probably had several tricks up her sleeves learned over the years from Impa and her own studies - as much as it was just nice to see that she'd become so much more powerful in actually using them.

The arms completely sucked back into the six pools now, and the shrieks from above grew quiet. Looking up, they watched as the Squid's body shivered and convulsed before going a bit limp. In its dazed state, it's body began to hang away from the ceiling, exposing the soft underside Link knew it possessed, and he grabbed his hookshot, realizing he had a good point of attack for the moment.

Shooting the chain from the device, watching the hooks embed themselves into the ceiling near the monster, Link let it tug him upwards. As his feet left the floor and he drew closer to the monster, he swung his blade around, slicing it through the newly exposed mouth aggressively. The chain of the hookshot swung him around the monster in a circle while he slashed at it again and again, the Squid eventually letting a screech before it jolted. When this happened, he hit the lever on the back of the hookshot to make it release from the chain he'd attached himself to, and went plummeting to the floor.

The creature shrieked behind him as he landed, and he pushed himself up, looking back to see what it might do next. Detaching from the ceiling, it dropped down to the floor, making the room tremble with the weight. But it didn't simply lay there, began to push itself back up, red eyes leering out at the both of them menacingly when it lifted it's tentacles again - however, two were shorter now due to Link's attacks.

"Persistant little cuss," Link grumbled when the Squid got back up, having hoped perhaps he'd done it enough damage to slay it already, but if it wanted another taste of his blade, then so be it, Link thought to himself.

Holding his blade at the ready, the Squid lower its head before him and began slipping across the floor as if he might've been about to charge them both.

"Zelda, move back," Link told her. "Try to keep the tentacles off of me so I can make him sorry he got back up before the count."

"Alright," she nodded subconsciously, doing as he'd asked and backing away. Zelda watched the Squid snap forth, swinging its arms down at Link, the Hylian moving swiftly out of the way, blocking a blow with his shield and attacking the Squids shielded head with his sword.

Zelda did what she could to keep the tentacles off of Link while he worked at knocking the Squid back down, but something else drew her attention. She heard more bubbling in the pools surrounding them, glancing over to see what they might've been doing. Looking back, she watched as several globes of water began to raise out of the pool and float in the air before spinning around, gaining more and more speed, ready to shoot off and slam around them room and into them at any moment.

In order to aide Link as well as stop the impending threat, Zelda changed her tactics a bit. She attempted a spell she hadn't had the chance to perform often, knowing it would more than likely lessen her magical power a great deal, but it would be worth it. Folding her hand against her chest, her entire form began to glow red, and as the globes of water began to shoot off around the room at high speeds, the chamber grew darker surrounding them all, a wind picking up as powerful bursts of electricity began to shoot out of the walls.

The lightening slammed into the speeding globes, causing them to burst in explosions of water droplets everywhere. In turn, jolts of electricity also slammed down into the Squid and its tentacles, making it tense long enough to give Link a better chance to pull his own attacks off.

One of the globes of water managed to evade the lightening, flying across the room and into Link's back without warning. As it hit him, as if a rock might've been thrown at him, it knocked the wind from his lungs and sent him careening backwards into the wall. Falling onto the floor from the harsh blast - thankful he was wearing chainmail otherwise he could have been hurt much worse - he rolled over onto the floor with a grunt, able to feel a pain shooting through his chest that told him he'd broken a rib or two.

Zelda moved over to him swiftly, pulling him back. When he flinched, she stopped, about to ask what was wrong, but he began to push himself up without any help, blood dripping down the side of his face from scratching his temple on a brick in the wall when he'd hit it. Righting himself, he turned a glare toward the Squid that was convulsing from the shocks of magical lightening it had received, apparently unable to take much more as it trembled with the slight bit of life it had left.

There were large cracks within the shell of its head, and gaping holes, and Link, in the mode he was in now, ignored the pain and pushed himself toward the beast with a cry of battle, ready to finish the fight he and Zelda had both won.

The monster couldn't move as Link jumped into the air and brought the Master Sword down into one of the gaping holes in its armor, stabbing the head of the Squid deeply and without mercy, trying to shove his blade as far down as he could go with as much strength as he could possibly muster considering his injuries.

The Squid lay there still before it jerked hard and essentially threw a tantrum. The way its body convulsed as it began to die threw Link away, but Link allowed it to happen, drawing his arms up and around his sides in order to protect himself as he landed on the floor and slide across it to a stop. Once he finally did, he put his gauntlet covered hand down on the floor in order to push himself back up when he felt Zelda's hand on his shoulder, taking heavy breaths before he looked up to see the creatures body jerking and turning back into the water it had been formed from.

As it began to disintegrate, the water dropping and dribbling down onto the floor, finally, the body fell apart into a large splash that washed across the marble tiles and around the two Hylian's who'd slain the creature.

Seeing this, they both breathed out a sigh of relief, and glanced at one another. Zelda couldn't help but worry over his condition despite their victory, even as he smiled at her and she returned it, reaching up to wipe some of the blood from his cheek. "You've become fairly merciless, you know?"

"Yeah," he drew out, still winded from the battle, "I figured they deserve it."

She made a sad smile, knowing that he was hurting, and she took his shield for him and set it onto his back, saying, "I can't heal you right now. My magic is nearly diminished. I'll need what I have left in order to destroy the orb.

"It's alright," he told her, slowly pushing himself up. "Just a couple of broken ribs. I just have to remember not to laugh, or," he thought, then said, "breathe." With the notion, he snorted in amusement, followed by cringing from the pain that simple motion caused. Zelda tried not to snicker at all over what he'd just said, wanting to chastize him for cracking jokes when he knew it would make her do so and ruin his own resolve. Instead though, she just helped him to put his sword up because he apparently was favoring his left side, and that was the side he used to sheath the weapon.

Once done, both of their attention was drawn by the formation of another bright light where the Squid's body had been, and Link glanced over with her. Turning, he headed toward it, wondering what he might've been gifted with this time, the glow reflecting off of his green jerkin while he considered it. Reaching out, he touched his hand to the light, and watched smaller sparkles of energy begin to disperse from it, circling up and out about the both of them.

As the lights began to culminate and absorb themselves into Link and Zelda's bodies, Link turned to look over at Zelda, and for a brief moment, he could see her eyes glowing brightly. The same could be said for him, she'd noticed, whenever he looked at her, and she told him so.

"Your eyes are glowing."

"So are yours," he replied, curious about it. "Is it some type of spell?"

She felt as if she knew somehow, her reply coming without much pause, "It's the ability to see the truth, about places, and things. I've heard of such magic before, but it's rare."

"Well, we are rare cases," Link said, stepping toward her as the lights began to diminish into nothing around them. "So, in that case, we can see what exactly? Hidden areas?"

"Yes, in a sense, I know that we'll be able to see the truth behind magic spells designed to fool people, as well as hidden areas or objects whenever we use the magic."

It sounded like a useful item to have, Link considered, wondering how she knew exactly what it was. So he waved his hand slightly, asking, "Is it the Triforce of Wisdom telling you this?"

Zelda's eyes seemed to grow considerate over the question, and finally she smiled as, somehow, she just knew it had to be. "Yes, I believe so." With the words, she looked back at his face and said, "It's funny, I never really considered it before, and somehow, it's as if I'm being told the answer to your question by the same source you're asking of."

He smiled at her, stepping in closer before he looked up at the last task they had to perform. The black orb settled above the room awaited Zelda to be destroyed, the inside glowing the same way the one had in the Temple of Fire, only with a blueish color inside of it instead of red. Paring her lips, Zelda spoke the obvious, "And now, I think, there's only one thing left to do."

"Then," Link began, pulling the hookshot from its place on his belt, "it's time to break that orb."

With a nod of her head, Zelda lifted her arm around Link's back somewhat gently as he fired off the device and allowed it to tug them upwards and onto the platform where the orb rested.

Landing, Zelda stood up straight, looking at Link's face quietly as he rose back to his feet as well, cringing a bit from the landing.

"Link, let me use the fairy on you."

"No," he shook his head, looking back at her, "we can save that for something more dire than this. Besides, you'll get your magical strength back soon, and then you can touch me and–"

He stopped when she slapped her hand over his mouth, grinning playfully at her reaction, and she shook her head toward him, "You have no shame, do you?"

As she removed her hand, he just smirked and replied, "I do, I just thought it might make you blush if I said it."

From the playful talk, Zelda knew he wasn't really bad off at all, maybe in pain, but it was always hard to tell with him because he was so strong. She looked his wounds over once she'd had the thought. Blood still stained the side of his face, his ribs were apparently busted, but he was still standing there just waiting for her to accomplish her tasks so they could move on to the next one.

It was in that moment that she couldn't help but consider how much the both of them had been through, but especially him. He was injured, bloody, probably as exhausted as she felt, and she wanted to convey so much thanks to him that she didn't know where to begin.

When she didn't move, he looked over at her to see her staring at him. With a shake of his head, he asked her, "What?"

Zelda didn't reply right away. Instead, she just moved toward him and leaned up, kissing him fiercely, but with a gentleness as to not hurt him, though she got the feeling that might've been impossible considering his apparent tolerance to pain. Link was slightly surprised at her sudden show of affection, but he didn't turn it away, allowed her to finish before she broke it and told him what she'd been thinking.

"I just had to show you how grateful I am to you."

"For what?," he asked, the confusion apparent in his voice.

Shaking her head and stepping back, she smiled up at him, then told him, "For everything." Her hand was still in his for the moment, and she gave it a squeeze before she released it and turned toward the orb as he watched. Considering her words, a little smile lit his face.

He would tell her she was welcome later.

Reaching out, taking her blue amulet into her hand, Zelda reached for the black orb with the other, staring at the ball of dark magic with narrowed brows. After a deep breath and closing her eyes, she placed her hand on the surface. The white glow of energy she exerted began to spread out from beneath her fingertips, remembering the pained faces she'd seen in the vision, the destruction Ganondorf was planning to unleash. A sneer marked her lips as the orb began to crack beneath her fingertips.

The white light grew and grew once again until it consumed the both of them, too bright to look upon for long, just as it'd been in the Fire Temple, eventually blotting everything out.

---

"Cody, did you feed the horses?"

"Yes, Grandma," Cody called back, pulling a board of wood onto the front porch of his home. Nighttime had befallen the lake, and with no word from Link or Zelda, he was starting to think more and more that they might really not be back to claim their horses. With a sigh, he shook his head, considering it was their own fault for trying to cross the lake when they'd been warned not to. Though Cody didn't want anyone to die, he supposed if it had actually happened, then the least that could be done was to hand the horses over to the revolt after all, if only because they'd be better taken care of there than here where there were no stables on the cold lakeside.

It was then that he heard a loud whir of sound off in the distance, and with narrowed brows, he stood from the wood he'd just laid to rest against the corner of the porch and looked out across the lake. The lake seemed to become unsettled, and Lana, having heard the noise, stepped outside to ask, "Cody, what's going on?"

"I don't–"

Before he could finish his sentence, a huge beam of light shot up and out of the water, into the sky. The sudden blast made Cody stumble backwards, drawing his hand back toward the wall so that he wouldn't fall over, staring in awe as the light shot up into the atmosphere. Lana, with her bad eyesight, gripped one of the columns holding the roof up over the porch, and she asked, "Cody!? What happened!?"

"I don't know, Grandma," he told her as he pushed himself forward again, seeing that there was a wave of water washing from the surface of the lake now so swiftly ashore it knocked some of the still settled boats against the docks and reached for several feet beneath their home before it started to recede back again.

Completely uncertain of what had just happened, standing in the eerily calm wake of the event that had just taken place, Cody shook his head and repeated to Lana, "I _really_ don't know."


	37. Aphotic War

_Chapter 36 - Aphotic War_

The courtyard was all but empty as the gates were pushed open and shut again, settled amidst the setting sun in the sky. Slowly, he walked across it, knowing the foreboding sense he had was not just his mind playing tricks on him. Quietly, he glanced about, then forward at the steps leading up to the doors of the throne room behind the fountain in the center of the courtyard, and he knew where his king awaited him.

Arden headed toward the steps, ignoring any lingering pain he felt from his wounds, pushing on despite them. As he moved, he thought about certain things, about what Lyonel had said to him, things he never would have thought to consider before, things he wouldn't have considered because they were essentially meaningless. But everything was meaningless now. All of it was. Lyonel was right, and Arden's life was forfeit.

Pushing the doors open, the throne room coming into view before him, Arden noticed that where the courtyard had been lifeless, the throne room seemed to host a good bit of animation. Before him, and in front of the throne where his king stood, stood a contingency of soldiers, Ganondorf summoning up a dark power which he was now unleashing onto them all.

The dark force moved in black waves, consuming their bodies, an unexpected move to the men as they felt themselves transforming. With a wide, working eye, and narrowed brows, Arden watched the soldiers become different amidst the lightless energy, bigger, their bodies shifting somehow, though he couldn't see clearly until the dark power faded.

Slowly it did, though amidst it he could hear snarls and growls, and once that power vanished from sight, instead of regular soldiers standing before him, there was a legion of armored beasts with the heads of Jackals, their eyes glowing red, their fangs drooling saliva as if hungry for the taste of blood.

As Arden watched this, he exhaled his breath. He'd known something of this calabur was coming, so he wasn't completely surprised. Still, despite his knowledge that something of this nature was going to happen, he couldn't help staring at it, almost unable to believe it. From his very men, what were regular people, came such a force as he saw now.

As things grew quiet amongst the Jackals, Ganondorf's voice rang out over them all, his tone strong and steady. "Now go, gather yourselves, and prepare to depart. The thirst for blood you seek to taste shall be granted."

One by one, the Jackals turned, walking toward the door, passing Arden on their way out. He watched them silently before glancing toward the throne again, seeing that his king had settled his gaze upon him. It was a cold gaze, and one that Arden could not have mistaken, setting a chill forth even into the seasoned soldiers soul. But even then, he kept himself in check. Arden did not attempt to approach him or to speak until he was summoned or told to do so.

Ganondorf said nothing however, and only stepped down from the steps of the throne, approaching the man himself. Arden knew there was one move to make that would have been acceptable in that moment, and performing it, he dropped to his knees.

Watching him do so, Ganondorf stopped before the now kneeling man, and he lifted a singular brow above his black eyes, stating, "You've returned empty handed."

"Yes, my king," Arden drew out slowly, "I've failed in my tasks."

A brief silence ensued the words as a little smirk lifted the corner of the king's mouth. "Now, there's no need for such shame, Arden," Ganondorf spoke, "after all, you are one of my most skilled warriors. Lyonel, from what I can remember, was also fairly skilled, was he not?"

"That is no excuse for my failure," Arden replied. "The only thing I succeeded in was to find news of a revolt, and that their stronghold is supposedly located somewhere around or near Lake Hylia. I couldn't even get the exact location for you."

"You're just being hard on yourself. Stand, Arden," Ganondorf replied, allowing the man to do so before he went on, waving a hand as he added, "This revolt does not concern me. It is merely a last attempt by scared children to stand against powers they have no clue the significance of. They will be dispatched with my newly sired Knights. I trust you understand that much."

"Of course, your majesty," Arden said almost immediately as he stood up like Ganondorf had asked him to. Was his king going to show him pity or mercy? Arden didn't want pity, as much was for certain, but perhaps a chance to redeem himself would have been preferable. Though, he'd expected nothing less than death, and he knew that was his fate. Unless his king had another idea he hadn't thought of yet.

But Ganondorf didn't waylay any type of plans to him as he continued speaking throughout Arden's considerations. "Good, then you also know I'll have no use for your talents while I take up the tasks at hand. You may stay here for the time being." With those words, Ganondorf moved past the burly man, and Arden looked down in thought. He may well have won a second chance to be able to please his king.

Ganondorf stopped at the door, taking the knob. "Oh, I forgot to mention something, Arden."

Arden turned around as Ganondorf took the handle of the blade upon his back with the words, "Your majesty?," asked.

Swiftly, Ganondorf turned and unleashed his blade. Blackness ensued.

_There is no mercy for the weak..._

---

The village was experiencing a rather peaceful evening. As the sun was drawing down, the people made their way, quietly going about their daily lives, returning home to have dinner, or heading to friends homes for different reasons. Most of the day's work had been completed, the evening just a typical one, serene, families sitting at home to rest, eat, and talk amongst themselves without a care in the world.

At least, until night fell upon them.

The Dark Knights moved into the village without a force to stop them, and once spotted by the townspeople, the jackals were fled from. But the people weren't swift enough to escape the wrath of the malicious beasts. Axe and sword were brought down alike, blood splattering the street sides, homes ignited to fire, chaos consuming all of them.

A woman running away while carrying her child was shown no mercy when she was knocked over accidentally by another fleeing villager, and her five year old girl fell away from her. Before the child's eyes, the beast standing above them both brought down a gory war hammer, the woman's screams ended with a chilling crunch. The child, however, didn't have long to live with the images.

People were pulled from their homes, forced to march out of their village while watching most of it burn down, while watching their friends and family murdered around them, and despite all of the death and destruction, small rays of hope still shined by figures who'd retreated, escaped the wrath of the Dark Knights who'd attacked them. Some went running toward Hyrule Palace, foolishly believing the king would retaliate and defend them, though others headed elsewhere, into the hills, managing to survive the struggles between good and evil.

From a distance, Ganondorf watched, settled upon his horses back, a small smirk lifting the corner of his lips as the smoke rose high into the air. It wasn't enough yet, but it would be a start. This destruction would draw those two out to him, the ones he needed in order to complete his quest for complete domination finally, bring them both out into the open where he could have their power for his own.

It was time for this aphotic war to begin.

Gasping loudly, sitting forward, Link was wide eyed from the horrendous nightmare he'd had, but he cringed over the fact that his ribs were apparently still mending and he'd moved so quickly awakening from sleep. Grunting slightly as he pushed his arm over his side and his hand against his left ribs, he took in a slow breath to try to abate the pain, and looked toward Zelda, seeing her asleep near him on the same bed that he'd been laid to rest on.

Taking in a deep breath, and glancing around the unlit room they were in while he did, he realized they'd both been returned to Zora's Domain. Seeing that he was safe for now, he thought to the dream that had awoken him. Darkness, screams, cries for help. With a soft breath, he pushed himself back on the bed so that he could turn to put his booted feet on the floor.

When he did, the door opened, shining in a light from the hallway that illuminated the dimly lit room, and someone looked inside. Seeing him, squinting a bit against the light in order to do so, Link asked, "Esair?"

"Ah, you're awake."

"I am," he said softly, "but Zelda's still asleep."

"I see," Esair replied just as quietly, coming into the room with a cup held in his hands as he headed over to the young Hylian. Holding out his arm, he told Link, "Drink this. You look as if you've taken a heavy beating. This should have you mended by the time you return to the other side of the lake. It works slowly, and you may get a little groggy, but it will definitely help you recover."

Seeing that it was a potion of some kind, Link took the cup and thanked the Zora, lifting it to his lips as he started drinking it all down at once. After it was gone, he pulled the cup away and handed it back to Esair, clearing his throat as he stared ahead quietly in deep thought.

Esair tilted his head, seeing the troubled look Link seemed to express unwittingly, and he asked, "Is there something wrong, Link?"

Sighing, Link shook his head no, "I just had a bad dream. It was like someone was getting hurt, and I couldn't find them to help them in time."

"I see. Would you like to be left alone?"

Link could feel the medicine he'd swallowed going to work already, his eyes growing heavy again, and slowly, he nodded, "Yeah. I think this stuff is kicking in anyway."

"Ah, good. Then we'll talk later after you've had your rest."

Turning, Esair went to leave. As the door shut again and closed out the rest of the light, Link could feel his lids growing heavier with the need for sleep overwhelming him, and he turned and laid on his back again, wondering what in the world was in that potion Esair had just given him. Still, his mind rambled back to the dream he'd had. For a brief moment, he wondered if it were connected in any way to what Zelda had seen in the Temple.

He felt a soft thud against his abdomen. Opening his eyes for a moment, he glanced down to see that Zelda had rolled over and her hand had landed against him. Looking up her arm and to her face, he took her hand and gently slipped his fingers beneath her cheek, slipping down toward her. He just wanted to feel her a bit closer to himself in that moment, wanting her warmth somewhere near to him.

Laying back so that he was resting with her head against his shoulder and chest, he slipped his fingers up her arm and behind her back and shoulder gently, resting his cheek against her hair before the medicine Esair had given him knocked him out completely. Zelda snuggled into his side, making him feel completely comfortable.

He didn't dream about anything else for the rest of the night.


	38. Warning

_Chapter 37 - Warning_

_Tap tap tap_

The hammer drove the nail into the wood as Cody tapped the tool against it's surface. In silence, he sat there, hammering away, the daylight shining down on him. It was a bit warmer that morning, so he'd decided to get a start on his building project before the weather decided to turn cold again, sitting and thinking as he went along. While he worked, he kept wondering what the light he'd seen the night before was, completely uncertain about anything anymore nowadays.

It was when he'd had these thoughts that a pair of hands covered his eyes.

Cody dropped his hammer in reaction to the sudden blindness and jerked a bit, hearing a voice behind him saying, "Guess who!"

"Alia!" Cody yelled her name, but not completely loudly, hearing the brunette's giggle as he tugged her fingers away from his face and turned a blue eyed glare up at her. "Don't startle me when I'm working! I could've hammered my thumb!"

"You're such a stick in the mud, Cody. You know that, right?" The seventeen year old asked, crossing her arms over her chest self-assuredly with pursed lips. With her hair in a ponytail that hung down to her back, she was warmly dressed in a pair of thick pants - not too common for a girl unless they lived in a waterfront town - and a pretty light blue shirt with long sleeves.

Looking at the green eyed stare she was giving him as she'd suggested he wasn't any fun, Cody rolled his eyes and stood up from the wooden frame of a boat he'd been hammering together, and he said, "Hey, there's a lot that's been happening around here lately. So don't get me started."

"I'll say," she replied, completely changing her tone, and then she grabbed his hands somewhat excitedly, "Did you see that light last night!?"

Cody, trying to ignore the way she'd grabbed his hands, nodded over the sight he'd seen. "Yeah, I saw it. It knocked a wave up onto the shore so far it went beneath the house."

Alia, seeming a bit more excited over the phenomenon than Cody ever had since it had happened, started nodding her head, asking him, "Do you know what it was!?"

"No," he started, shaking his head, "and unless it means I'm going to get my new boat done sometime soon, I don't really want to know."

"Stick in the mud!," she yelled at him, then commenced to tell him what she knew anyway. "I'll tell you what I heard. There's someone new around. His name's Lyonel, and _he_ said it was the power of that old underwater Temple being unleashed. I don't know if I believe that or not," she drew out with a shrug of her shoulders, "but word has it that Lyonel used to be a Royal Guard for the true king and queen of Hyrule."

Cody, listening, shook his head slowly, asking, "Lyonel? Never heard of him, but Grandma might know. She used to live in Hyrule Town you know."

"Oh really? And no," Alia shook her head up at him in a sassy manner, "I didn't know that because you never _tell_ anyone anything, Cody. Like I said, _stick in the mud_," she enunciated pointedly.

"Yeah, that so?," he asked her, and when she nodded, he went on, "Well, how's this. You see those horses."

Alia looked over toward the back of the house, but she didn't see anything from her vantage point. Running ahead a bit, able to see the full view, there stood Epona and Frost, and Alia couldn't help her gasp. "Cody! Where did they come from!?"

Cody walked up behind her as she seemed to grow happily excited over the animals, and he said, "I stole them. How's _that_ for being a stick in the mud?"

Alia swung around, almost smacking him accidentally with her hand as she did so, her brows narrowed in an unapproving shock, green eyes wide, exclaiming, "You _what_!? Are you _crazy_!? Who did you steal them from!?"

In their talks, they didn't notice the two Hylian's who'd just stepped ashore from the docks, having tethered the sailboat they'd borrowed before they climbed off of the vessel, and Link made the reply, "Us."

Alia turned to stare at the two with wide green eyes, and Cody cringed, then rubbed the back of his head as he glanced over at them. They were back!? He couldn't help being surprised, thought they'd been goners for sure with the explosion that had taken place last night, and he shook his head slowly. "How did you get across the lake and back!?"

Zelda, wearing a circlet that Queen Majalyn had given her of gold with blue gems inlaid in it, had headed past them and around to the back of the house to take their horses, walking them over while Link stopped, the satchel they'd taken with them slung over his shoulder. The circlet was a gift from the Zora's, nothing too fancy, really just a golden band etched with pretty symbols, and Link had a new enhancement to his shield, one the Zora's gave it to make it reflect things, such as projectiles and the magic from some spells.

These items were received when Link had opened the message inside of the bottle that he'd found in the Temple of Water, which had been a letter from Majastra to Majalyn, written just before her death.

They'd also given the Zora the Myriad Stone they'd found, and the Zora had commenced to use it. The talks had been fairly long, and very revealing at the same time. But Link's mind went to Cody's question and he responded, "I told you I'd figure a way out, remember?"

"Yeah, but," Cody stopped, and then he looked over at Zelda when she came up with the horses, letting Link take Epona's reigns. As he did, he turned to tie the satchel to Epona's back, and Cody just watched them quietly, then glanced at Alia to see she had a particular stare on her face at Link, suggesting she might've thought the Hylian was good looking.

The sight made Cody somewhat angry, and he stepped in front of her, crossing his arms over his chest determinedly. Finally, he responded, "Yeah, well, you got lucky is all. So there's probably not much to tell."

Zelda had smiled because she too had noticed the look Alia was giving Link, and the fact that Cody had gotten jealous made her try not to laugh. Clearing her throat, she got their attention, ignoring his comment about their not having a lot to tell about where they'd been, and said, "Thank you, Cody, for watching Epona and Frost for us. It was very helpful with where we had to go."

Alia, pushing Cody to the side with an annoyed look on her face, asked Zelda, "Where was that!? Did it have anything to do with that light we saw last night?"

"Yeah," Cody suddenly thought, looking over at them, "What _was_ that light?"

It must have been the released energies from the Temple, both Link and Zelda figured, and Zelda replied to them both, "It's a long story."

The words seemed to make Cody feel as if perhaps his words before about them not doing much of anything were probably as wrong as they could get. While he thought it over, he heard Alia pointing out what he'd already seen. "You're Hylians. Are you from Hyrule Town?"

The two looked at one other, then back to the inquisitive green eyed brunette, and Link shook his head, "Sort of. It's hard to explain. We grew up in Kakariko."

"So," Alia drew out, trying to step toward Link with a little smile on her face before Cody saw her and grabbed her arms, making her stay put. The movement didn't stop her from smiling at him however as she asked, "You're brother and sister then?"

Link had only just noticed Alia's seeming attraction toward him, and he'd already parted his lips to reply but the words stopped with the realization as he breathed out in a partially amused, somewhat embarrassed manner. "Adoptive," he told her, "not blood."

She looked a little disappointed, and Link heard muffled snickering behind him. Narrowing his brows, he looked back at Zelda, who, when she saw him, looked up at a random area innocently and bit her lips to stop from grinning. She wasn't jealous somehow, knew his feelings toward her and was secure in them, especially against the attractions of another girl who barely knew him at all. She wasn't worried one bit, and found it all very humorous. Though, with those considerations, she had to wonder how Link might react if someone, like Cody perhaps, started flirting with her.

It was a fairly amusing notion, one she needed in the light of what they'd recently discovered from their talk with Myriad.

Seeing the look she'd given, Link pursed his lips at her, and then he looked back at Cody and Alia, considering himself that Cody acted as if he might've had an attraction of his own to the human girl he was standing with, considering how he looked fairly jealous, and he decided that he'd just be as polite as possible for now.

Besides, Alia looked a little disappointed, and he listened as she shrugged, "Well, who are you anyway? I'm Alia, from River Town. And this," she grabbed Cody's shoulder with a grin, "is Stick In The Mud, in case you didn't know."

Finally getting to the introductions, Zelda stepped forward and offered a smile, especially over what she'd called Cody, as well as her hand, saying, "It's nice to meet you. This handsome young gentleman is Link," she commented with a hand on his shoulder, drawing a look from Link that said he wasn't happy with being called that in front of a girl who apparently had no qualms about being flirty with someone she'd just met, just as Cody was staring at Alia for the name she'd called him in front of these two people.

Zelda just continued to speak though, adding, "And I'm Zelda."

Alia took her hand to shake with a snicker as Zelda referred to Link in the way she had, seeming to know exactly why Zelda had said that. Alia wasn't blind to the fact that Link was unsure how to reciprocate her little flirtations with him, and Alia also wasn't going to continue to outright act that way with him if it either made him uncomfortable, or there was the chance that he was already spoken for. Besides, Alia did have feelings for Cody, though she'd never admit them to him, especially with as much of a party pooper as he could be.

But her thoughts changed track for a moment and she blinked, her brows narrowing a bit as she looked the lady who'd introduced herself just now as Zelda over.

"Wait," she turned to Cody, "Lyonel said someone was going to see the Zora and then said that light was the power of that Temple being unleashed. I heard him saying that the two who went there were...,"

She trailed off and gasped suddenly, looking at Zelda with wide eyes. It was Zelda's turn to not know exactly how to respond, the mention of Lyonel's name aside for the moment, and even further confusion over the matter rose up when Alia suddenly bowed to her and said the words, "You're the Princess! Cody! Bow, she's the Princess of Hyrule."

Cody didn't bow exactly, just stared at Zelda with a look of confusion and surprise, then at Alia, unsure himself what to make of the situation. Link also had a raised brow that he shared with the young man, and Zelda clenched her fists a few times, a bit hesitant, then she bent down and shook her head at Alia, putting her hands on the girls upper arms.

"No," she told her, "don't do that."

"But why?" Alia asked, looking up at her. "My parents told me everything. The stones awakened, and we learned from the others that the real daughter of Hyrule is currently seeking to take back the throne. And Lyonel said her name is Zelda."

"It doesn't matter," Zelda explained to her patiently, helping her back up. She honestly didn't think anyone would react this way, and while she was unsure if it was just because the young lady was somewhat overexcited, or because everyone would do so, she continued, "I'm not the Princess until the King is dethroned. Please don't feel it necessary to bow to me, Alia."

Alia seemed to think about that for a moment, and though Zelda had said not to bow, when she stood up, she still looked as if she were much more humble than she'd been before. "I'm sorry, but, shouldn't I at least treat you with respect?"

Zelda tilted her head to the side, and then she smiled, "We should all treat others respectfully, Alia. Royalty or not. I wasn't raised as a royal, so you can feel free to treat me as you would want to be treated."

Alia stared at her, and she then smiled and nodded, glancing between Zelda and Link. As she seemed to accept what Zelda told her, Cody stepped in and asked, "But it's true? You _are_ the Princess?"

With a sigh, Zelda looked at him and said, "I am the true daughter of Hadinaru and Nissandra, yes. But it's not something I want everyone to know."

"I think I already know why," Cody replied, "the revolt's already talked about it. They said you'd be riding as a commoner and–oh crap!" He drew out the words suddenly, his eyes going wide. "I stole the Princess's horse!"

He acted as if she might've been about to cast the death sentence to him right then and there. Reaching up, rubbing her forehead for patience, she heard Link intervening, "Calm down, Cody. I think she's already sentenced you to a few days of caring for them. And you've done that already."

"Oh," Cody nodded slowly, "right. Sorry, it's just the whole discovery is a little," he shook his head, "baffling I guess."

"I was baffled as well when I found out the truth," Zelda replied, then she looked at Alia and changed the subject, somewhat uncomfortable with speaking so much about herself. "But Alia, you mentioned the name Lyonel. Does he wear a cloak and hood all of the time?"

"Yes, do you know him? According to my parents, he used to be a Royal Guard of Hyrule."

Link and Zelda exchanged a look. In doing so, they couldn't help a sigh of relief, glad to hear the man hadn't succumbed to Arden the evening they'd had to leave him in Engleton. Looking over at her, Link asked, "Where is he now?"

Alia jerked her thumb back and said, "Down the shore, there's a gorge where the Zora River starts. The Revolt is hiding in the Grotto's dug out of the cliff sides mostly, just before you reach River Town. But you have to go to River Town in order to get in. That's where the entrance is hidden."

Hearing this, Link nodded and looked at Zelda, saying, "You remember what Myriad said before we left Zora's Domain?"

"Yes," she nodded, thinking back to the conversation. Myriad had informed them that a force of evil was gathering in Hyrule, and that lives would be lost if it wasn't intercepted, though it was inevitable that people would die regardless, this having been set into play years in advance. But Myriad had also told them that beforehand, they would probably find a few people who knew where a safe haven would be located, as she'd gotten word that the revolt was growing stronger already.

Hearing now that the revolt was under good authority with Lyonel from Alia, Zelda rested just a bit more easily, knowing that if worse came to worse, the people would have somewhere to go to. Something else Myriad had told them was that they may find themselves torn, as she'd had a vision of a knife splitting the heart from the mind for a little while. But because of this information, Zelda knew exactly what Link was getting at.

Looking at Cody and Alia, Zelda told them both, "You have to get Lana, and head for River Town now. Let them know that more people may come to them soon in need of shelter because towns are being attacked and destroyed, and let them know to be ready for it. Link and I have to go stop Ganondorf's forces from causing anymore problems now."

"Whoa," Cody drew out once Zelda had finished those meaningful words, which set into his head, telling him something bad was going on, "wait a second, are you trying to tell us that Ganondorf is planning to attack his own kingdom?"

"I saw his intentions myself," Zelda replied to him, "and he is."

"But _why_? That makes no sense!"

"It makes perfect sense, Cody," Link told him, drawing the carpenter's attention. "He wants to draw the two of us out."

Cody stared at Link blankly. "Are you trying to say he's going to do all of that just for the two of you? You two really _are_ royalty, aren't you?"

Link shook his head, "No, she is, I'm just a commoner," and he smirked a little.

Cody looked, once again, completely baffled, and Alia spoke while he did so, stepping forward with the question, "Then aren't you just walking right into it? I mean, I know someone has to do something to stop him, but shouldn't you go to River Town first and get reinforcements?"

Myriad had told the both of them as much. She'd informed Zelda that the Princess had in fact seen the same message meant for Myriad when she'd touched the stone in the Temple of Water, and that the message was relaying the information of a trap for the both of them. Ganondorf wanted to lure them out, and he had the best way to go about it; by using the citizens against them.

She warned the two that it would be a fairly time difficult for them both, but there was no other way around the problems being created. The most important thing was to keep Zelda safe however, until Ganondorf could be incapacitated, so they had to remember that one simple fact during all of this.

Link shook his head, but before he could speak in response to Alia's question, they heard a voice coming from behind them both. "Alia, Cody, come into the house, help me pack the things."

"Grandma?" Cody asked as he went over to the porch while the old woman worked her way down with her cane in hand, trying to help her.

"You heard me young man, do so right now and don't delay. We'll sail up the river. It will be much faster."

"But Grandma–"

"Don't but me, Cody," she told him somewhat sternly. "Your Princess just gave you instruction to keep us safe. I think, considering they crossed the lake and unleashed the power held within the Temple of Water that this situation lay well within their scope of ability. Now go on before I have to use my cane on you. You too, Alia."

"Yes ma'am," Alia drew out, and the two ran into the house to do as the woman had suggested.

Once they were gone to pack, Lana smiled, then turned around, clothe draped across one of her arms as the Hylians she'd just defended approached her. She could hear them much better than see them, and she held out her arm. "Here, I made these for you while you were away. It's a thank you for paying to borrow the boat instead of just taking it."

Lana waited, and once she felt Link and Zelda taking the garments, which were hooded cloaks made out of a thick, warm, dark material, she went on with her words. "I heard everything, and I'm very, very pleased with what I heard. I used to live in Hyrule Town, with my husband, years ago before we came to the lake to make a living. So much has changed since then, and not for the better. When word spread that the King and Queen had a son, several of us were disappointed over the fact that the queen had been so certain to have a little girl. Years later, we finally know the truth of why. Cody and Alia aren't old enough to remember everything as I am. But since I know that you aren't old enough to remember either, I can tell you that you'll be given a grand reception by those of us who know the full extent of the story."

Zelda had slipped the cloak on, admiring the finely made garment while she listened, and letting the material drop down around her while Link did the same, she glanced back over at Lana and replied, "I hope, if there's to be a reception, that it's because Hyrule has it's foundation back, and not just because we're both trying to build it."

Lana grinned and chuckled softly, nodding her head, "Said like Hadinaru, always well spoken. Thank you, my lady. For both the words and the warning. We'll be safer now because of you."

The compliment made Zelda smile, somehow finding it completely flattering that she might've said something like her father would have. "There's no thanks necessary," she told the woman, adding, "we should be the ones thanking you, especially for these cloaks, they'll definitely keep us warmer with the cold weather ahead of us."

Once she'd finished her words, the door to the front of the house opened. Cody came outside carrying leather bags filled with their things, and when Lana heard it, she just shook her head at the Hylians standing before her with a smile.

"Regardless, thank you. When I reach River Town, I'll let everyone know what you've told us today. We should arrive there by late afternoon."

"Good idea," Link agreed, "we'll be heading back through Engleton ourselves."

Alia, hearing the name, set one of the bags she'd helped to pack down and she said, "Engleton? If you happen to come across Betarro and Kiama, tell them to come to River Town too. They're my Uncle and Cousin."

Hearing the words, Zelda and Link nodded, and Link told her, "We've already met them actually. So if we do, we'll definitely let them know."

With those words, he'd mounted Epona's back, Zelda climbing onto Frost's, and Alia smiled as she watched them, responding with the words, "Good! I'd hate for them to get caught up in anything bad happening. You two ride safely!"

"We will try our best," Zelda told her with a returned warm smile, waving her hand at them. As she did, Link also giving a goodbye, Alia waved, and grabbed Lana's hand to turn it in the right direction, and Cody just gathered their things together. He glanced up as they rode off and sighed out his breath.

"Come on, let's get going before anything else can happen."

Alia gave Cody a look, and then she swatted the back of his head, making him cringe. Flinching from the smack, he asked, "Gah, what!?"

"You act as if you've been through a war or something! Show a little respect for goodness sake!"

Lana just turned to go with a soft chuckle, Alia helping her along. Following in behind them with their bags, Cody just grumbled and wondered why he was the one who was always getting smacked around.


	39. Small Tastes

_Chapter 38 - Small Tastes_

Zelda and Link took the path of Misty Falls in order to return to Hyrule fields where their attention was most needed now. The ride wasn't as slow as the last time, but they were well rested and had a better idea of how the chasms were laid out now as well. Even still, they never made it through to the other side when trouble found them long before they'd thought it would.

They'd drawn their horses to a stop, having heard someone up ahead in the chasm yelling to another about hurrying along through the falls. Link, unsure if he was right or not, drew out the words to Zelda softly, "That sounded like Betarro."

Zelda had to agree, watching from beneath the hood of her new cloak with him while a rider rounded the corner, the man they knew from several nights ago now named Olnor in Engleton. Olnor, on his horse, completely fine now from the wound he'd received at Dark Link's hands, glanced up when he spotted the two riders up ahead of himself, and he stopped in his tracks. Link, whom wasn't wearing the hood of his cloak unlike Zelda was in order to keep warmer since his hat took care of that for him, looked a little surprised.

He and Zelda goaded their horses toward the man as Link spoke, "Olnor? What are you doing out here?"

Olnor didn't respond at first, but it was plain to see that he was apparently troubled. The look on his face as he said their names in greeting made Zelda and Link exchange a glance, and Zelda asked, "What's wrong?"

A voice yelled from behind them, "Watch it! There's a slippery spot there, I think it's a patch of ice, don't carry those stretchers over it, okay?," and Olnor looked back when he'd heard Betarro's words, sighing. As he did, a few more people came around the corner of the chasm, most of them dirty and tired looking, scared, despaired looks on their faces, then more of them came around, some of them even bloody. The more that came around the corner, the more incredulous link and Zelda became, seeing two of the people carried across stretchers due to wounds on their legs preventing them from walking.

Betarro, on a horse himself, was helping to guide the people around the corner of the chasm, his daughter with him on his horse's back, and seeing the sight, Zelda couldn't stop herself from reaching over and taking Link's hand, squeezing it. She was too distraught for words in that moment.

_This_ was what Ganondorf had unleashed? There were even a few children with them, quiet and solemn unlike a regular child should have been. Zelda took in a shaky breath of both sadness and anger against the sight of it all.

Just as when they were children, she hadn't realized she'd taken Link's hand, and Link gently squeezed her fingers in response, not just to comfort her, but also because he himself was angry. But he also knew this was upsetting to her, because she had such a big heart. Speaking for her, he asked, "Olnor, what happened? Was it an attack from Jackal Knights?"

Betarro had spotted the two with Olnor when Link had asked the question, and he seemed to tell the people near him something before riding over while Olnor nodded his head, asking, "How do you know? Are there more ahead?"

"No," Link shook his head, "the lake was still safe when we left it."

"Link!," Betarro called as he finally made it toward Olnor, coming to a stop. "Link, Zelda," he nodded in greeting, and Kiama did the same before her father went on, "Are you coming from the lake?"

Nodding, Link repeated what he'd just told Olnor about the lake being secure. "We ran into your niece, Alia, whom told us to tell you all to go to River Town, but I'm guessing that's where you're heading now anyway. What happened exactly?"

Olnor shook his head slowly, replying, "Last night, we were attacked. There's nothing left of Engleton. Most of the homes were burned down, and those of us who managed to survive gathered together to leave for the revolt. We had people arrive in the town before we were attacked, so apparently this has happened in other places as well, and no one knows exactly what's going on. All of these attacks were done by the same kind of men with the heads of black jackals, dark knights of some kind. Most of these people here aren't even from Engleton either, only a handful are."

Link and Zelda were fairly speechless. Zelda had taken to looking over the faces in the small crowd as they stared back at the two of them, trying to spot anyone else she might've known aside from the three before her now, but she didn't recognize any of their faces, and she looked over at Betarro when she realized that.

"Betarro, where's Jada and Nissa?"

With a shake of his head, he replied, "We don't know. We searched for them, but we couldn't stay, not with how badly injured some of the people are. If I were you, I wouldn't head back that way, they could still be around."

Zelda didn't waste any time. Link looked over at her when she let go of his hand and dismounted Frost, moving toward the crowd swiftly. "Zelda?" Link asked, taking Frost's reigns and heading toward the crowd himself while Zelda went right up to one of the people laid out on a stretcher and inspected them. Coming to a stop behind her, Link watched as she placed her hands on the man's arm and filled his body with the healing power she'd learned. As the wounds started to close, though not completely because they weren't paltry and would take more than her spell to completely heal up, he seemed to sigh in some relief of the pain, and looked over at the woman who'd just mended him.

"Thank you," he whispered out.

Zelda nodded, unable to help shedding a single tear in her sadness and anger, though it was for more anger than sadness that she did so, replying, "I can't heal them completely, but that will at least help you to recover."

The older man nodded, and Zelda gave him a small smile, then she stood up and looked over at Link, followed by glancing back at the rest of the people. In good conscious, she couldn't allow them to struggle like this, but she also knew she couldn't heal them all, and didn't have enough potion to go around to them.

Sighing out a soft breath, and she went back to Frost, putting her booted foot into the stirrup before she pushed herself onto his back again. As she did so, she looked over at Link and said, "Link, someone could have just let them go. They're heading to the revolt, and there's no telling if Ganondorf is trying to track them to it."

"I'd just thought of that actually. You remember what Myriad said about setting up a trap for us too, don't you? Who's to say that if we go back the way we came, like Betarro suggested, they won't catch the both of us."

"Yes," Zelda nodded, looking over at Olnor after a moment. Getting her thoughts together, she went back toward him on Frost's back and stopped near him, asking, "Have you been doubling back to be sure no one's following you?"

"We've tried our best to make sure our tracks aren't traced. But evil fuels these beasts," he added, "it's hard to tell if we've done a good job or not."

Sighing out her breath, trying to think of a solution, she had only one in mind before a new voice interrupted her thoughts. It made them all turn to face the individual, letting them know it wouldn't matter anyway. "They'll be able to smell the blood your people are bleeding even if you _have_ done a good job. You'll need more than just doubling back to keep these beasts from tracking you."

Seeing the rider, Betarro exclaimed, "Lyonel! You sly Hylian, I can't tell you how good it is to see you during a time as dire as this."

"I can imagine," Lyonel drew out in a blandly humorous fashion. "You'll need help getting these people to safety. But if I'm not mistaken, Zelda, you were trained under Impa, and Impa knew a great deal of shadow magic."

"Yes," Zelda nodded, "I was just considering this. She did teach me a good bit of it. I can definitely use it to mask them."

With a nod, Lyonel looked at her, and then at Link. There was a decision to be made here, and he put it in the clearest fashion possible, saying, "That will more than likely work well, but the chances are there's survivors hiding somewhere as well. We can't just let them remain in the line of danger. But we also can't stop these people for long enough to rest without risking their safety too. So," he glanced back to Zelda, "what do you propose, your Majesty?"

The words had been spoken with the utmost respect, and it drew several of the commoners attentions, especially the older ones, just as Lana had mentioned beforehand, and Zelda took in a deep breath, feeling a slight bit uncertain. Some of the people asked 'Majesty?', and others whispered in curiosity.

Lyonel hated putting Zelda on the spot so suddenly, but he would explain his reason for doing so later once he could have a moment to apologize to her. But if these people, who'd lost everything they owned the night beforehand, was given hope by seeing with their own two eyes that their Princess was with them, fighting for them, then they'd have a much better chance of reaching the stronghold of the revolt safely.

Zelda, somehow, understood this as she watched Lyonel quietly, and she also understood that she did need to decide, or at least learn how to, in order to make the right choices. Hearing the whispers, the people wondering if Lyonel was right, she reached up and pulled her hood off, giving Lyonel a certain look as she parted her lips to reply.

"I will travel with them and hide their steps to the best of my ability." In thought, she glanced to the side and finally added, "As for the survivors, someone needs to go looking for them apart from us."

Lyonel couldn't help a smile, seeing her taking her first step into the world she was born into, feeling somehow redeemed from what he'd considered himself so guilty of all of these years by handing her away to adoptive parents as a baby along with Link. He wanted to give her the best taste of what awaited her as well, and just as any advisor of the court would do, as his wife used to be, he informed her, "My Princess, there are but four of us capable of such a search, however, those dark knights may prove to be too powerful for just one of us alone. Yet we need to help get the rest away. So who might we send?"

Only one logical answer rang out in Zelda's mind, but she didn't want to say it. Link. He was the only one equipped to deal with the knights, but could she really send him out to handle such a task alone? Was this the real reason she'd lost her amulet in the Temple of Water? So that she could see with her own two eyes that Link would be safe without her, in order to help ease her worrying?

That's when Myriad's words hit her. _I saw a knife, and the mind would use it to sever itself from the heart, and they would split paths for a while_. She knew, with Myriad's advice, that as much as she hated to do so personally, she had to act as the Princess now and do what was right for the people, and not herself.

"Link will go," she replied, looking over at him. Link, returning her gaze, his own face seemingly unaffected by the news, as if he understood completely why she'd said that, nodded his head, seeing exactly how things were beginning to play out for himself, as if he'd remembered Myriad's vision also.

He regarded her now, keeping a straight face despite the fact that he knew she didn't want to send him out alone, and only one thought played through his head. Mira no longer existed, except as a memory. The woman was now replaced with the Princess here, Zelda, and he wasn't going to refuse her command.

Parting his lips to speak, he told her, "I'll do my best, my lady."

He saw her lip quiver just a bit while she kept the rest of her features so stern, but he understood her reasoning all too well, and offered her the faintest of smiles to let her know he wasn't in any way angry in being sent off to do this task, and actually did agree with her. Seeing the smile, she withheld her own, then told him with a formal nod, "Thank you."

Lyonel, allowing them this exchange, looked to Zelda and told her once they'd finished speaking, "In his absence, I'll keep a watch on you, your highness. He'll be fine, I'm sure."

"Yes," she drew out, still looking at Link, finally able to break her line of sight with him before she looked back to Lyonel and told him, "Have Olnor take up the rear with you. I'll travel before everyone with Betarro so that his daughter will be safer incase we're attacked."

"Yes ma'am," Lyonel returned, pulling his horse off and signaling to Olnor to follow him.

Zelda watched him go, and her eyes caught those of the villagers. They still looked somewhat confused, curious, questioning over everything, and she felt she needed to address exactly what would be happening now, so she took the initiative to ride ahead and inform them all.

They watched her, and as she pulled her horses reigns to a stop, she looked over them all and began to speak. "I am Zelda, the daughter of King Hadinaru and Queen Nissandra, the former rulers of Hyrule."

The younger people all looked completely curious while the older looked both awed and even hopeful again, just as Zelda had believed Lyonel had exposed her identity for. Allowing the information to settle in, one of the woman came forward and called out, "Your...your Majesty?" She looked close to tears as she clenched her fists against her chest, "Do you know what it is that took our homes and families? There's been rumor about many things."

"Yes," Zelda nodded, "I know what it is. The current King, Ganondorf. He's opened hostilities on his own people. But this will have to be discussed later. For now, we don't have much time. There is a revolt that has formed, which we will be heading to now." Zelda neglected to mention the name of the location aloud, remembering that ears could have been anywhere, and she added, "We will not stop traveling once we've started, and I know many of you are tired, but we have to keep up an even pace. When we arrive, you'll be able to rest safely. So prepare yourselves now."

The people seemed to understand, and seeing this, Zelda turned her attentions back to Link. He was waiting there to leave whenever they left due to the possibility that something might attack them all, and he glanced at her when she gave her attention to him. Zelda turned on Frost and headed over to him, reaching into her pouch and pulling out the potion she carried on her, handing it to him. "Take this with you, just incase."

Looking at her hand, and then back to her face, Link shook his head. "No, give it to these people. I still have some of my own, and they need it more than I do. Don't worry about me."

Taking in a shaky breath as he spoke those words, Zelda slowly lowered her hand with a nod. She could feel emotion brewing within her, knowing that she might not see him for a few days. She couldn't help the way she felt, after all, she'd been with him during almost every step so far, and while she'd seen firsthand just how capable he was, she wanted to know he was okay for every step he took alone.

Seeing the look on her face, the worry in her eyes, and how she seemed reluctant to send him off alone despite her command of what they should all do, which he'd believed to be the best course of action anyone could have suggested, he couldn't stop himself. Audience or no, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, kissed her with a deep emotion that she returned, lifting her hands up to his cheeks as if to hold them there for a second longer before he could break away. Her fingers curled through the back of his hair for a moment, savoring every moment of the too short kiss that they both could.

But it broke to her whispered words, "I love you," sounding as their foreheads rested together where no one but Link could hear it, and he kissed her once again for them, much more briefly before he told her the same.

"I love you too, and I'll be back soon."

"You'd better be," she replied, opening her eyes and offering him a small smile, one he was much happier to see as the last expression on her face instead of that worried one she'd been expressing as he sat back again on Epona's saddle.

"That's an order," she added, trying to lighten the mood as much as possible.

"Yes, your highness," he smiled back at her, and then turned his reigns, making his way off and up the slope of the chasm they'd been traveling through when they'd come across the group of people who'd been attacked trying to make it to safety.

"Your highness?," Betarro called as Zelda watched Link riding off alone, and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He would be fine, she reassured herself, and she had to get these people to safety. Remembering what was causing all of this, knowing that a part of Ganondorf's plans might have been to show her his cruelty just to cause her to fall back in her responsibilities as the Princess, she became even more determined to take up that role, and thwart him in every way possible.

"I'm coming," she told him, turning about on her horse in order to ride over to him. As Frost made his way before everyone, carrying her on his back with ease, she looked across the crowd, and saw Lyonel and Olnor in the back, giving her their nods that they were both ready.

With that information given, Zelda called to them all to ride out, and as they all began moving, she invoked the magics Impa had taught her from a young age to put them all in the shadows, their group disappearing from sight completely.

With any luck, they'd be at River Town by evening, and Zelda knew they'd be most vulnerable when traveling the shores of Lake Hylia, though not open to attack from two sides, this was the very reason it would be dangerous. They had only one direction to go for retreat should something actually detect them and attack, and if it came to be that attackers came from the Zora River instead of from Misty Falls, they would have no where to go, and be forced into a fight.

If this was but a small taste of things to come, then Zelda knew to fortify herself for the worst possible scenario. But she simply pushed on with the people, hoping for the best for everyone involved.


	40. Atonement

_Chapter 39 - Atonement_

The sounds of leaking water could be heard dripping along with the slow squeaking of swaying chains connected to empty shackles. The front door to the dungeon opened, and footsteps began to sound on top of the other noises while rats scattered quickly before the heavy booted feet.

Each prison passed was empty, except for a few decayed bodies, the smell of which wasn't exactly pleasant whatsoever.

Finally stopping before one of the cells, having visited the dungeons so many times he knew it like the back of his hand, the words were spoken, "Come out, Impa, you're not fooling anyone."

All was silent for a moment, but as if a shimmering of wind had formed around her body, the shadows blew away from her form as she stepped out into the open from where she'd been hidden so perfectly. Shimmering into view, she cast her face and her deep brown red eyes up at the man standing there, a blindfold tied around his eyes. Something was amiss about this visit, and Impa had to ask about it.

"Turn to face me, Arden."

The soldier, who for all intents and purposes should have been dead considering the king he had ruling him, replied to her, "It doesn't matter, Impa–"

He stopped when he felt her hand on his upper arm, followed by the words, "I said turn to face me," spoken a bit more sternly.

Deciding to comply finally, Arden turned to face the woman. The blindfold around both of his eyes now only partially hid the fact that there was a deep slice down the left side of his face, mirroring the one on the right that had been made years ago, and had completely blinded him. Blood still stained the left side of his face, the wound somewhat fresh, and Impa slowly shook her head, her hand still on his upper arm, asking him, "Ganondorf did this to you, didn't he?"

Arden was reluctant to answer, thinking of what had happened. He was to live with blindness now, with the dishonor he'd brought upon himself, pitied by others for his newly gained disadvantage which would forever stand as a testament to his failures, and Arden didn't say one word about it before he reached for her wrist and removed her hand from his arm.

Impa drew her hand back when he did so, and she watched him taking the bars to the cell she'd been imprisoned in, and with a harsh grunt of effort, he started tugging back on the door. She watched in curiosity, heard the slow metal squeak as the strong berserker hefted the bars back with all of his might, until finally, making a loud yell of effort, the metal pinged, and the door came free.

Stepping back, Arden threw the heavy door to the side, listening as it crashed several feet away from him. Once performed, breathing heavily, Arden told her, "You're free to go. Ganondorf is not in the Palace currently, so you'll have much less to worry on, that is, if you can escape the Jackals left behind."

Impa continued to stand there and stare at the now blind man, and when he didn't hear any movement, he stepped forward, asking, "Why aren't you going?," on a harsh tone of voice.

"Because you've yet to answer my question, Arden. Once you tell me what happened, if that's what you really want, then I'll leave."

Arden sneered with a groaned breath, then he asked, "Is it because you pity me too?"

Impa frowned, stepping through the door, toward him, and he felt her hands settling against his shoulders, heard her words telling him, "I never pitied you, even when you chose to serve the new kingdom instead of abandoning it, I never pitied you. Yes, it pains me to see that this is what has happened to you, but I don't pity you because you brought this all onto yourself. So tell me the truth, Arden, tell me what happened, and why you're doing this."

He let a sigh of breath, remembering exactly how Impa always said the exact words to make him feel as if he should bend to her wishes, so, deciding to enlighten her, he said, "Yes, Ganondorf did this to me instead of executing me, in order to live as a blind old fool when I didn't accomplish his bidding successfully, in order to remind me that I am weak, and the weak deserve no mercy. He knew that to me, because I welcomed it so freely as a punishment, death would have been merciful."

Impa closed her eyes in thought over those words, knowing the entire truth now, and she finished for him, "So you've decided to set me free, and when Ganondorf returns, he'll finish you off."

"Do you still know me so well?"

"Of course I do, Arden. You haven't changed, you've only gone down a path I could not follow, because you believed blindly that the former royalty was weaker than what would rise up. You're still an honorable man, under the dishonorable rule of a merciless tyrant."

Arden knew she was right, he had believed that the new kingdom would be stronger, so fully that he'd turned when his friends wouldn't listen to reason. He'd thought he was doing the right thing for the kingdom, and overtime, he could see that there were, of course, flaws with the new, slowly coming to realize more and more, despite continuing to serve valiantly, that this new rule was no better than the old. Perhaps it was pride that had stayed him, or perhaps it was the hope that his doubts were unfounded. But he also knew that, should he have come to find that he had been wrong, he hadn't wanted to face the truth and become the outcast that people such as Impa and Lyonel had become.

Besides, they would no longer have him, would not have trusted him, and he would not allow himself to stoop so low as to beg for anyone's forgiveness.

Quietly, he told her as much, "It took both my eyes to see the truth, Impa, so go now, and leave me to that fate I brought upon myself. They'll need your help, and I need to atone."

Impa stared up at his now blindfolded face, and she took in a deep breath through her nose before exhaling it. Slowly, she started shaking her head, telling him, "I will not leave unless you come with me."

He apparently didn't appreciate those words, taking her upper arms and shoving her back from himself. "Do you not understand that I am blind now, and would only hinder you? Or is it not enough that I am here now to pay for the mistakes I've made, and invite death willingly as a punishment so that this can all be balanced out and instead, wish to see me further make a fool of myself!?"

His voice had risen to a very angry pitch, and Impa watched him, undaunted by the anger he displayed. Instead of backing away from him, she suddenly pressed her hand to the side of his face and closed her eyes, channeling magic into his body, asking him as she did so, "Tell me what you see now, Arden? Can you see me?"

Something began to light in his dead vision, lines forming that were shadowed out, those shadows forming shapes he could see easily, colorless, dark, but there nonetheless, and he could see her face, looking down at her. As things became more clear to him, he could tell that she'd begun to shed tears.

The sight wasn't one he wanted to see, and with the spell she'd cast on him still in force, he turned to look away, asking, "Why are you crying?"

"You know why I'm crying!," Impa returned on a harsh tone of voice that was as angry as his had been before. But as soon as her ire had been birthed, it seemed to die down into sadness as she continued to speak. "Because I still love you. You've just forgotten that, as well as how to love, but you did love me once, before this new rule corrupted you. We've all made mistakes, Arden, and we all have to atone for them, but there's other ways besides death to do so."

Arden's fists tightened, his mouth a hard line, and after the harshly spoken words had drifted away from them both, leaving a much quieter setting in the air, he asked her, "Could you really trust me?"

"Could _you_ trust _me_? You seem to think the entire world is the same as Ganondorf now, because you've served that evil and dwelled in it's shadow for so long. Let me take you with me, Arden, so that you can atone properly. Don't continue to do things in his way."

"Then I have to live as a cripple? You know I'd rather die."

"You won't live as a cripple, but as a man who will be remembered for doing what was right, and honored for the sacrifices he made, looked up at for struggling to regain the things stolen from him. It is not in sentiment that I tell you this, but in honesty. For once, listen to me, and stop being so stubborn and prideful."

Somehow, in his dead heart, he knew she was right. There was another way to set this all right. It would be a long road for him, but he knew also that he'd traveled long roads before, and he could do so now as well, if he would just listen to her.

Impa awaited his response, staring up at him, breathing evenly and hoping he would accept. When he remained quiet, she stepped back from him, looking down, her brows narrowing in consideration of all of this. She thought he would simply leave now, and she could only let him make that choice. But his words caused her to look back up at his face again.

"How you can even stand to look at me, knowing what I've done, especially to you, I will never understand. Do you suppose, perhaps, in time I'll learn to understand it again?"

Impa slowly started nodding, and turning his darkened, colorless vision back to her, he saw this, saw the sad expression on her face, and heard her replying, "Yes, I believe you could. If you would try."

She heard his sigh of breath, then watched him stepping over to her, finally showing a bit of care by placing his hand on her shoulder. "Then I'll listen to you for once. Because you have surprised me. And if you can still harbor feelings for me, then I know for certain I've been wrong about several things."

The words made a slow smile tug at her lips, and nodding up at him slowly, she placed her hand on his resting against his shoulder, saying, "We'll just mend these wounds and start again. Until then, I think escape would best be done through the sewers."

He seemed to consider that, then slowly nodded his head in agreement. "We'll be able to sneak out through the mote and go to the stables. From there we can sneak away under the shadows. There is word of a revolt, but I never gathered its location."

"No, I won't go there, not yet." Impa said the words as she turned and headed further into the dungeon, like Arden, knowing most of the Palace like the back of her hand, and that there was an entrance to the sewer with a heavy metal grate located toward the back of all of the cells and torture chambers. "Bot until I've visited a few people to be sure of their safety."

"Very well," he agreed, and once they reached the metal grating in the floor, the dim light barely allowed him to see as the spells was shadow based so light was needed before he could catch any glimpses, though he heard the grate coming up out of the floor as Impa tugged on it.

Listening now solely, Impa took his hand and said to him, "Lower me."

He knew what that meant, and she stepped over the hole with one foot as he took her other hand and hefted her off of the ground, lowering her down into the hole, asking, "Release?"

"Yes."

Releasing her, she landed and splashed into the dirty water. But dirt was already something she was fairly covered in due to the dungeons, so it didn't bother her any. Awaiting Arden, she just prepared herself for their escape lying in wait ahead of them, and hoped that they could make it out of the palace freely without entanglement from any guards.

---

The road to River Town took a while, but it had thankfully gone very smoothly.

Around the edge of Lake Hylia at its northern tip was the start of the Zora River. It was the biggest and longest river in the entire kingdom, flowing from Lake Hylia in the northeast and through River Town, all the way past a small grouping of mountains for several miles and onto the other side past Hyrule Town as well as it's Palace.

The cliff sides that rose up around Lake Hylia proved to grow taller as the waters began to spill off and into the river they were searching out to follow. Birds flew overhead into the chasm the cliffs created, the river deep where they rounded, a few bridges located high above, connecting each side of the cliff together in various places while those birds flew beneath and over them simultaneously.

Taking in the scenery, some of the travelers having never seen the sights before, they moved past oblivious sailors on small fishing barges, heading toward River Town, which was divided into two sides by the Zora River, nestled at the base of the cliff sides on green grass and sandy shores, a large, arched bridge over the water connecting it all together.

Zelda herself had never seen the town, only heard of it, and she thought, when she saw some of the buildings in the distance, as well as the bridge, that it really did look like a lovely place to stay. If things weren't so dire, she would have considered more over it, but she had too much on her mind to fully be able to think that if she hadn't grown up in Kakariko, she might've enjoyed living there instead.

Pulling her horse off to the side, she told Betarro to take the lead as they grew closer to the town, and a single fisherman sitting on the side of the shore narrowed his brows when he thought he heard voices, putting a pinky finger in his ear as if to clean it out of any wax that might've made the sound. Having not noticed him doing so, Zelda turned around and traveled back to where Lyonel and Olnor were bringing up the rear, and she moved in next to the former royal guard.

"Lyonel, should I go ahead and release the shadows? I don't want to startle people by appearing suddenly in town."

"No," Lyonel advised her. "Many people in the town are oblivious to any problems that Ganondorf is causing, and if they see these people traveling into their town to join us in the cliff sides, it will create a bigger stir than we need right now."

Listening to him, Zelda nodded, thinking that was a good point, and that the people of River Town, if they were informed of anything, needed to be done so with word and not with example of what could happen to them. Not wishing to disturb the peace, she told him, "Then you should ride on ahead, and lead us to the proper place we need to be."

Lyonel knew as much, replying, "We'll have to cross the bridge. Hopefully not many people will be out since it's late evening and the fisherman can't fish on the bridge during the daytime due to boats passing beneath it."

"Alright," she replied with a nod, "then lead the way if you would please."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied respectfully and turned on his horse, increasing his speed to take the head position of the group, calling out to them, "Everyone, I'll be leading you into the cliff sides through the town. Remember to keep quiet and avoid people. They can't see you right now, but they _will_ be able to hear you."

Everyone looked as if they understood, though they also looked relieved to hear that they were finally making it to the end of their journey. Lyonel moved on ahead of them, and he took them through the finely crafted structures of the buildings in the town, avoiding populated areas to make things go more smoothly, and finally they crossed the bridge. No one was about since it was still evening time like Lyonel had suggested, making their passage across the river easily accomplished.

Once on the other side of the town and the river that separated it, Zelda heard some of the people talking about how the town looked very nice indeed, and some of them said they might like to live here now. It made her smile to know that they were already trying to recover, despite all that they had lost, but she knew that road would be a long one indeed. Still, it would be easier on everyone if they stuck together.

She herself wished Link was there. He'd always liked to fish when they were younger, and complained that, even though he was seven and not very big, the fishing pond in Kakariko Village didn't have big enough fish in it. The memory made her smile. She would have liked for him to be able to fish here, or just do something enjoyable since neither of them had been able to enjoy anything recently.

In his absence, she decided that she would surprise him with a new fishing rod whenever he returned and, if time allowed, ask him to take her out on the river so he could catch the big one. It made her smile genuinely, traveling down the road behind everyone, to have those thoughts and imagine how Link might've reacted to getting a nice new fishing rod.

Olnor, having glanced over, saw the look on Zelda's face, and he smiled himself, asking her, "What's got your mood up?"

"Oh," she snapped out of her daydreaming at his voice and looked at the black haired man, replying, "I was just thinking about how Link likes to fish, and he'd probably enjoy this place whenever he gets back."

The comment made Olnor smile in return at her. They'd kept their voices low, and Olnor nodded his head over the thought of fishing, saying, "I haven't done much myself lately. It would be nice to get back to it. Perhaps we'll all get a chance to go while we're here."

"It sounds like fun," she nodded and smiled at him, and the two, left with the lighthearted talk which was very welcome considering the darker experiences they'd both had recently, looked ahead again with better spirits.

Making their way to the east side of the town, coming toward an entrance to the cliff sides, Lyonel led the people around the turns of a small canyon that wove into different paths though wasn't nearly as confusing as the Misty Falls could be, finally reaching an opening in the chasm that led to a large set of double doors which were currently shut. Seeing this, Lyonel came to a stop, and he looked back at Zelda, informing her, "Now it would be fine to release the gathered shadows, your Majesty. We've reached our destination."

With a nod of her head, Zelda closed her eyes, and as if a wind had blown over them all, one by one each person shimmered back into view, though to each other, they didn't notice much of a change. Once this was accomplished however, Lyonel dismounted his horse, and Zelda watched him going to the doors.

"Olnor," he called out, "keep a watch with Zelda while I gain our entrance."

"Alright," Olnor replied, watching Lyonel motioning to the people to follow him as he went inside with them. While this happened, he pursed his lips and spoke to Zelda while keeping his eyes open, "This may not be the right time but..."

When he didn't finish, Zelda glanced over at him and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Well, I'm a little hungry," he chuckled. "So much has been going on I haven't even _thought_ about food all day long."

Zelda grinned over the notion, and when he'd mentioned it, she felt her own stomach rumbling. She'd gotten a bite to eat with the Zora's when she'd awoken that morning, but now she was famished almost. "Everyone probably is," she started, "I'm sure there's food here to feed everyone."

Smiling, Olnor saw the last of the people aside from Betarro and Kiama going inside, and Zelda moved over to them with him, dismounting her horse as the other three were doing so. Looking over at them, she waited for Lyonel to return for his horse, and she heard Betarro asking, "I wonder if Alia is here."

Kiama was smiling, apparently excited over the prospect of seeing her cousin again, and Zelda told him, "She seemed to know where the entrance to the area was, so she could be. Link and I warned her, and a family living near Lake Hylia, to come here before we left and found you."

"Was it Cody and Lana?," Betarro asked in reply.

"Yes, they used a boat to reach this place," she explained.

"Good, Cody's an excellent sailor. He has a somewhat sour attitude, but he could weather tides the size of these cliffs. Chances are if they'd run into a problem, he'd somehow make it through."

Zelda smiled over the words Betarro spoke of the young man, understanding what he meant about the odd attitude Cody seemed to have, thought she was glad to hear they would more than likely be safe with him navigating, and when she had the thought, the door opened and Lyonel walked back out toward them. Looking over, seeing him taking the reigns of his horse, he informed them all, "They know you're here, and stalls have been prepared for the horses. You three go on ahead. I need to speak with Zelda for a moment."

"Alright," Olnor nodded, "should we take your horses as well?"

With the friendly offer, Lyonel nodded, replying, "Thank you. Just ask for Kiron, he's the stable hand. He'll put them away for you."

Giving a nod, Olnor reached to take the reigns of Lyonel's horse, and Kiama moved over to Frost, looking at Zelda as she whispered, "I had no clue you were royalty. I'm sorry." She appeared to be somewhat intimidated or worried about something when she spoke.

Zelda let her take Frost's reigns, and she shook her head at the girl, "Don't be. You weren't supposed to know. And it doesn't change anything at all." She smiled and reached out to hug Kiama, which made the redhead smile as well after a moment, because she'd hoped the two of them could still be friends and was worried they couldn't now.

Letting go of her, Kiama, smiling in relief over the reassurances, told her, "Good, I'm glad, we can still make that dress we talked about sometime then," and with those words, she turned around and took her fathers hand, still smiling while walking Frost inside of the doors with him after Olnor. Once they left, Zelda turned to give her attention to Lyonel.

He'd smiled, saying, "You and Link seem to have made a good many friends so far."

"Yes we have. You should have seen us with the Gorons. We were afraid we got them too happy most times."

Lyonel chuckled, this lighter side of his mood somehow fitting, though in a slightly surprising manner. Zelda liked it somehow, wasn't sure if she could put her finger on why exactly, but she decided it didn't really matter much anyway. Finally, she asked, "So what did you need to speak with me about?"

Returning a nod of his head over the subject change, he looked up at the cliffs and started, "The people here are probably all wondering about you right now. When I first arrived a few days ago, they had a few odd concepts about everything. I've managed to let them know most of what's going on, but I wanted to warn you that you'll receive stares and questions you probably haven't thought of an answer for."

That somehow made sense, and Zelda nodded her head slowly. She then asked, "So what do I say?"

"For now," he replied, "just tell them you'll address most of the issues to everyone, because an address will be needed in order to keep everyone settled. You know how people become fearful in the face of the unknown."

"Agreed," she told him, taking in a deep breath with the knowledge that being here, where she was known to so many as the true Princess of Hyrule, she would have to assume a much more proper role than that of a commoner living in a village.

Seeing the look, Lyonel told her, "Don't worry too much. It won't be hard here. You'll be accepted by them. But, I want you to stay right next to me for now, and never move away. While I know you'll be accepted, I haven't been able to weed out all of the possible threats yet, so I'll need to be able to keep my eyes on you at all costs."

The words made her smile, and she informed him, "Somehow you sound like Link. If you're going to treat me that way, then I don't think things will be much different at _all_."

The words made him smile at her. Able to see more of his face from beneath his hood while they were talking like they were, Zelda somehow felt he looked familiar, but she couldn't exactly place why or how. Deciding it wasn't important, she just turned and held her arm out as if to be escorted, still smiling at him. Seeing her movement, with a small smirk he took her arm properly in order to lead her inside. At least that way, she wouldn't have to worry about really getting separated from him.

Hopefully, he wouldn't have to keep his guard up that much.


	41. Nemesis

_Chapter 40 - Nemesis_

Link decided not to ride to Engleton, or what was left of it anyway, at least not by the direct route. Though, the town was fairly close to Misty Falls, almost impossible not to pass through on the way out of the chasms, but he paced Epona's steps carefully, making sure he was well out of sight of potential enemy eyes.

As he went, the smell of smoke caught his attention, the same smell as when he'd first come to Engleton with Zelda, supposing the town was just built under some type of ill fated star. But his mind drifted away from the towns lack of luck as he could see the area from the trees and shrubs that were hiding him. The sight was not a pleasant one to behold.

His face grew completely grim. With narrowed brows, he closed his eyes against the wreckage and destruction, the bodies laying about, abandoned without choice by the townspeople whom had been trying to escape death themselves. His fists tightened on the reigns of his horse. Myriad had said some things would be inevitable when he'd last talked to her at Zora's Domain, so he tried to remind himself of that now instead of blaming himself for having not been there when the town had been attacked.

Opening his eyes once more and drawing another breath, one that evidenced the cold by steam about his face, he decided that the search for survivors would go much more swiftly with the gift he and Zelda both had received from the Temple of Water, and the blue color of his irises glowed softly as he invoked the spell using the knowledge Zelda had passed onto him so far.

With the newly gained abilities, he could see into the rubble of the homes, finding more bodies inside of them, some ashen from the fires, and others simply dead, remains torn apart here and there, images he became more and more angry over. No one was alive that he could see, at least, not in the area anyway, and he considered, from glimpsing the death of so many people, that Ganondorf was indeed not a man, and just some kind of walking evil plaguing the kingdom, as Link believed no man could have been capable of such atrocities unless aided by some other force of darkness as Ganondorf was.

It didn't matter now however. No one was about, and Link, pulling up the hood of his cloak, rode Epona out toward the ruins of the village, wishing he had the time to pile the bodies and burn them in order to give them a proper send off, but sadly, he had to move on in order to search more.

Somehow though, while Epona stepped down the ruined roadways, Link got the sense that if he stuck around long enough, something had to show up once again. So much that had happened would definitely keep someone's attention and as he rode, he just wondered who it would be that would find him first - friend or foe?

Unable to answer the question currently, he also considered how he was more than grateful that Zelda wasn't with him. This was not something she needed to see, and even he wished he could erase the images from his mind. Either way, he looked up and ahead of himself, a sense of determination to right all of this settling deep within his soul, and it was in those few moments, as he came toward the burned down rubble of a home, he heard shuffling in the distance.

Drawing Epona to a stop, he gripped her reigns more tightly and reached back for his sword, awaiting whatever it might have been to round the corner. Moments of silence passed with only soft shuffling sounding before a rabbit hopped out onto the roadway. The sight made him relax, unable to help his wariness considering his position, watching the rabbit scratch the side of its head with its foot before it then stood up on its hind legs and sniffed at the air around it.

"Well, at least you're not a chicken," he told the little animal as he lowered his arm, "otherwise I might've been doomed," he smirked, then glanced around again. As his eyes scanned the new road he'd come across, looking once more for signs of life. But it still seemed to be that no one was there, only himself, Epona, and their newly made rabbit companion.

It became clear after a short while that no one was about, if they had survived, they'd taken shelter somewhere away from this place, which was good. He'd come across to the other side of the village finally, settled near the wagon trail where there was a long wall of shrubs and trees on both sides of the road, and he came to a brief stop in order to decide exactly where to go to look next, seeing tracks on the ground that had been left in the mud.

They looked like paw prints, but there were only two paws per print instead of four, suggesting the types of beasts Zelda had described to him in her visions. the tracks were fairly old, but they were leading into the town anyway, and that told him nothing which he needed to know. Sighing out a soft breath from beneath the hood of his cloak, he heard a branch snap, and glanced up quickly to see someone moving swiftly in the distance.

From the looks of it, it was a human and not some monster. But they zipped away so swiftly, he could barely even see them.

As they rushed off into the bushes, Link kicked his heels into Epona's sides, moving off toward the trees ahead of him off of the roadway, trying to spot where that person might've been hidden. His vision aided him, and he saw a young woman hiding in the trees, but she'd ran off and over a hill before he could say anything at all, so he called out to her.

"Wait! I'm not going to hurt you!"

No response, except the sound of hooves hitting the ground in the distance which seemed to come out of nowhere. Turning his head toward the right, where the sound had come from, Link listened as the hooves seemed to multiple in number. The girl he'd seen had been running away from the direction the hooves were heard in as well, telling Link that there was danger ahead and she knew it.

With that thought in mind, he turned Epona toward his right, and rode her in closer to the sounds, heading along a path which was lined up along a thick grouping of shrubbery, which thinned out toward the end. Moving along, he continued until he could see easier and easier, coming to a complete stop at what his eyes viewed.

Dark Knights, the same as Zelda had described, were all standing in a grove of trees, three of them on horses, others just settled, eating some kind of raw meat, and Link loathed to think of what it might've been. They were grotesque looking, drooling, snarling and making odd sounds he couldn't describe.

Apparently they didn't know he was there however, so he used the advantage he had, slowly dismounting his horse, staying quiet. Counting, there were five of the Knights settled there altogether, and Link turned Epona and led her out of the way of danger, settled along the wall of plant life as a means of easy escape saying he needed it, and then he pulled the cloak he'd been wearing off, followed by grabbing his bow from his back.

The creatures kept making the most god awful sounds, like a mixture of grunting and snarling while the Hylian who'd gotten the drop on them notched one of his arrows. Just as he was about to use the magic Zelda had taught him to ignite the arrow to flame, when he heard a snarl from behind him and he turned around. One of the Knights had apparently gotten the drop on him instead, and turning swiftly as the creature was about to let forth a loud growl and warn the others, Link let his arrow fly swiftly, right into the creature's throat.

Slamming into the skin there, it effectively silenced the dog, bringing it to a single knee. Though he hadn't been able to make any noises to alert his friends, Link heard the gasped growls of the others behind himself, and considered that perhaps they had sensitive hearing anyway, and he put his bow away. Without hesitation, he rushed the Dark Knight he'd just shot, and let a yell of force as he drew the Master Sword through the monster's throat to make quick work of it.

The others had already come running, and even though there were five of them, Link didn't attempt to escape. Instead, he turned and rolled to the side, away from a swung blade, standing before another of the beasts to meet weapons with it, unafraid of the snarls the drooling monster made down at him. With clashing metal, Link only saw the corpses he'd come across before finding these beasts, the visions fueling his desire to make these creatures pay for what they'd done. Knocking a blow to his side back with his shield, he slashed through the dog's armor with his sword, the armor standing no chance against the enchanted blade he wielded.

The blow he'd landed was followed by his leap backwards when another of the mutts had moved in and tired to swipe at his side. Link flipped backwards through the air before landing in a crouch, pulling his arm back with his shield held protectively before himself, charging his energy into the Master Sword until the blade glowed white.

The beasts began rushing in after him, and as they neared, Link turned and swung the blade in a complete circle, knocking two of his enemies back, and one of them, which he'd previously attacked and then sliced open completely again, down for good.

One of the Knights had turned to run toward their horses, apparently intent on calling for back up. Or perhaps he was fleeing. Unsure of which it could have been, though doubting that the Knight was retreating, Link got an idea and took off after him, ducking a blade and putting his shield on his back again. Reaching for his belt, he grabbed the hookshot and aimed it, shooting off the chain so that it went flying into the hound's chainmail, securing itself there.

Link released the trigger of the gun device and with the Master sword in his left hand, he leapt into the air and was pulled in swiftly by the retracting hookshot just before an axe was brought down behind him. The speed the hookshot had given him made his movements that much more precise. Knowing he could easily retrieve the hookshot, Link released the gun in midair and turned his sword down, grabbing the hilt with both hands as his boots landed against the retreating Knight's back just before he could get to his horse. The force knocked him forward, followed by becoming impaled through the chest from the back completely with the Master Sword.

Link had no time to stop though, the remainder of his enemies moving in toward him. Jerking his sword out of his enemy, he turned and slapped the hind flanks of the horse next to him, causing the animal to lift its front legs with a loud whinny before taking off, trampling one of the knights beneath its hooves.

The now injured Knight didn't seem to want to stop however, but Link had taken care of him so he could concentrate on one enemy instead of two at once, and the last moved in with his battle axe, cleaving it downward against the Hylian's sword while his drew his shield back out. Pushing the strongly wielded battle axe backwards, Link swiped and was blocked, then blocked a blow with his shield, stabbing forward to quickly jab his blade into his opponents chest.

Pulling the blade out once again with a jerk, he turned and saw the last of his enemies pushing himself back up, one of his arms broken. Link didn't spare him an inch of mercy just as they would spare no one else. Things had definitely gone too far this time, and he would not allow it to continue. The only way was to defeat those who had been doing the killing.

Rain clouds had gathered while Link had been fighting, and with a sigh of breath, he retrieved his hookshot from the ground, jerking it out of the chainmail. He noticed something in that moment as well. Once killed, the dark powers that had been fueling these beasts faded away from them, and left what they had once been, men whom had blindly served Ganondorf for all of these years.

The one he stared down at now was familiar to him, and he tried to place where he'd seen the man's face before. Suddenly, it clicked, the day he and Zelda were chased by Arden and his men from Roshala Village, one of the soldiers had almost fallen to his death, and Link had saved his life. This was the same young man.

The realization made Link close his eyes and sigh out his breath as the rains began falling. So much for good intentions, he supposed. But a sound in the distance drew his attention, and Link looked up to see what it was, leaving the corpses of the men he'd just slaughtered behind and heading out of the grove to see riders in the distance coming his way, more of the Dark Knights he'd just killed.

Turning, Link moved to Epona before the riders could reach the area, and he jumped onto her back. He knew that staying in one spot was more likely to get himself swarmed, so he had to move somewhere with more room in order to have some freedom with the things he could do. Gripping the reigns, he took off on Epona, moving on the horse and looking behind himself as the riders came in behind him, keeping his sword ready as they started catching up with him. Coming up to flank both of his sides, he made his move.

Pushing a leg up, he smacked Epona's hind flanks in order to get her to move a bit more quickly just before he leapt from her back and onto one of the knights horses next to him, as well as out of the way of a swung sword, using his own blade to stab him before he pushed the Knight off of the horse and grabbed the reigns in his hands, drawing the animal to a stop.

The rest of the riders had moved on ahead while Epona traveled off safely into the distance. One of the things he most certainly didn't want was Epona to be injured since she was his means of travel, and he grabbed his bow and took careful aim as they all began to stop in their riding, his arrow igniting as he sent it flying through the air and into one of the beasts heads, knocking it off of the back of the horse.

Link managed to take out another of the riders before they reached him and he engaged in battle once more. They put a fairly strong fight, and Link knew they were no pushovers, otherwise he wouldn't have had to put so much effort into what he was doing, but he held his own against the beasts and did not falter in his struggles.

The fight having led out onto the roadways beyond Engleton, ended now in the drizzling rain, and Link pulled the Master Sword out of his final enemy before he slung it around and splattered their black blood into the mud from the blade, though somehow, he felt his fight was far from over. Looking over the seven Knights he'd managed to successfully take down with a combination of skill and cunning, Link took in his breath, glancing over the terrain quietly as if waiting for something, knowing it was there, but unsure where.

It was then that he saw the mark of the Triforce on the back of his gauntlet lighting up, realizing that one of two people were close.

Considering the situation, he knew it wasn't Zelda.

The answer lay behind him.

The sound of soft chuckling could be heard from a man with an apparently deep voice as muddy hooves trotted along toward the still standing fight with his sword and shield drawn. Link turned around swiftly to face the new element, hearing the words spoken before he realized whom he was face to face with.

"You're very light on your feet, I can see. I'd always wondered exactly how the Hero of Legend might fight."

Ganondorf slowly came to a stop, settled atop his black stallion, its red eyes glowing as if fueled by his rider's evil powers. The two stood ten feet apart, silently, Link's breath the only movement he made as the steam moved through the cold air with each exhale from his lungs he took. Ganondorf's own did the same as the two enemies looked upon each other for the first time.

Somehow, Ganondorf didn't look like half of the monster that Link thought he would from what he'd seen of the false kings personality so far, though one thing that signaled a thought in his mind was the red hair on his face, as well as the beard on his chin. Nabooru's hair was the same color, and it sickened Link to see this, though he showed no signs of it.

Finally, after their moments of consideration, Ganondorf smirked down at the Hylian, turning on his horse to dismount.

Stepping down onto the muddy ground, the false king stepped forward slowly, no weapon in hand, as casual as he could have ever appeared, but even still, Link didn't relax his stance, nor put away his blade. No matter what this king of lies said, Link did not trust him.

"So, we meet at last, Link, isn't it?"

Link's brows narrowed, his expression remaining stern, and within each others presence, the symbols on the backs of their hands had returned, the tell tale sign that each of them possessed a part of the Triforce.

"I see you have nothing to say," Ganondorf added when Link remained silent.

He was right. There was nothing Link could think of that he actually wanted to say to this monster. The rains pouring down between them grew heavier as they stood there, silently waiting. But finally, Link did say something however. "What could I say to someone who kills for no reason? What could I ever say to someone who doesn't care to hear?"

The words didn't fall on deaf ears, but they did draw a smirk to cruel lips. "Well, if there's nothing to be said," Ganondorf pointed out, "then all that is left would be action."

He watched Link, and after a moment, Link lifted his weapon and his shield, apparently ready for anything. The movement made the false king grin, and he reached back for his own blade, tugging it out slowly, pointing the weapon forward at his enemy. But he didn't move right away. Instead, he decided to let Link in on something that the Hylian may not have known.

"You could be wrong," he started, "I know things that may be of interest to you."

"There's nothing you know that I care to hear."

"Of course there is, don't be brash," Ganondorf sneered out. "What about the parents of your dearly beloved friend? Hadinaru and Nissandra? Wouldn't you like to know their true fate?"

Link's brows narrowed low on his brow. Seeing the look, Ganondorf continued, "You see? Completely brash and no patience. Allow me to inform you so that you may relay the message. I've already informed Myriad, but she's said nothing I'm sure, because she knows as I do that as soon as Zelda finds out the truth, she'll come running to the Palace like a man dying of thirst to an oasis."

"What are you talking about?" Link asked on an angry tone of voice, tired of his play on words.

The false king began to chuckle softly, turning to the side, casually taking a few steps as he began to explain. "Well, as everyone was told, they're dead. However, the truth is that my father, after learning of the Princess's survival, had them put into a deep slumber. They've, of course, long since recovered from their injuries, however," Ganondorf looked over at Link, a smirk on his face, "he wanted to have leverage over her, to draw her out, for he knew the moment he'd learned of her survival, she had to be one of the chosen to gain a piece of the Triforce."

Link's eyes had gone wide, his mouth still drawn into a sneer, his fingers tightening their grip on the hilt of his blade. The King and Queen were still alive? Somehow he couldn't wrap his head around that, but he listened as Ganondorf went on before he could make a response.

"You know, as I'm sure Myriad told you, this attack on my own kingdom was really nothing more than a trap, set up to catch two little Hylians I'd been searching to find for about a decade now. However, one out of two isn't bad, and while I would have preferred the both of you, while I would have loved to see the look on her face when she came to realize the truth, I'll settle for what I can get."

"Then what, you're going to kill me now and take the Triforce of Courage? That's all that you want, isn't it?"

Link continued to glare at the evil king while he waited on a response. Ganondorf turned to face him again, replying, "What I want? That I'm afraid you couldn't begin to fathom in your tiny head. But no, not precisely. Since Myriad's stubborn refusal to cooperate has left me with little choice, I'm going to let you live, for now. Long enough to tell her, thinking that your bonds of friendship will keep her tethered to you, only to go running off in the middle of the night trying to save her lost sires. Or, you can keep that information a secret, knowing that once she discovers the truth, and that you'd known it all along without telling her, it will break those bonds. Either way, she will come to the Palace to save them. All I have to do is wait for her. As I'd said, I'll settle for just you for now."

Link's sneer had turned into a look of complete loathing. Just as he'd considered before, this was not a man standing before him now, only a walking plague, and Link was ready to be gone with his evil once and for all. He drew up the Master Sword, telling him the only thing he needed to in that moment.

"You'd better kill me now, Ganondorf, because if you don't, you won't live to see later."

Ganondorf began laughing over the words, drawing his own blade up into a battle ready position finally, the two handed weapon much bigger than the Master Sword itself, however, this made no difference to the king of evil. The rains beat down on them both now, and simultaneously, they moved toward one another, blade being brought up to meet blade in a loud clash of fury, teeth bared in anger.

It was only the beginning.


	42. Myriad's Sorrow

_Chapter 41 - Myriad's Sorrow_

The grotto's formed out of the cliff sides had been well taken care of. It used to be a soldier outpost, dating back to even before River Town was formed, and most people thought the rooms and chambers built inside of the canyons were abandoned, which apparently they had been, up until recently. The people whom had initially started the revolt against Ganondorf had taken residence in the structures dug out of the canyons so long ago, and had begun work to fortify them, as well as to build onto them if possible in order to make sure they had the best tactical advantage they could saying they became discovered and needed escape routes or other such means of defense.

As Lyonel had escorted Zelda up the stairs behind the entranceway he'd first led her into, two guards stood sentry outside of the doorway at the top of the steps, whom let them into the room that lay beyond the doors they guarded. Zelda was somewhat surprised at the manner of guards, as the armor they'd acquired looked as if it might have been used in her parents time, not to say that it was old at all, but that it made her get the feeling that many had salvaged several things since her parents deaths.

She wondered, as they stepped into the main entrance of the outpost, what else she might find here, and passing the guards, Zelda overhead one of them asking, "Was that the Princess?"

Being escorted in, she didn't pay the talk any mind for the moment, and simply looked about. The people that she had helped bring here were all being cared for now. Some of them were being taken up more steps, others down hallways, more than likely so they could be assigned to some type of sleeping arrangements, and Zelda could see that there were already others there who'd been hurt in the recent attacks made on Hyrule's citizens residing there as well.

But most of the new faces all looked fairly well health wise, members of the revolt that were trying to help the unfortunate people brought to them, and many of them had looked over to where Zelda and Lyonel had entered. Zelda knew they were all curious over the same thing, and she looked up at Lyonel and said, "I don't really feel right."

"How is that?," he asked on a soft voice.

Shaking her head, she told him, "I'm really not the Princess until some type of coronation can be performed, and I don't feel very comfortable proclaiming to be that until it's happened. Yet everyone is still referring to me and treating me as such."

Hearing the words put a small smile on the seasoned warrior's face, and his reply came, "Don't feel that way, my lady. After all, it's much better to refer to you as a Princess than to Ganondorf as a King, isn't it?"

She thought that over, and then finally nodded with the words, "I suppose you're right." The people here didn't want to ally themselves with a merciless Tyrant, and they would be trying to look up to her, telling her that she had to keep a proper footing, and remain strong for them, otherwise the thin string that held their hopes attached would be severed completely.

Once she'd had the thought, she looked up and saw some of the revolt members making their way over, some armored, others wearing light clothing as it was probably easier to move about and fight in if they needed to, and one of them, a somewhat tall man who reminded Zelda of Betarro standing before the others, began to speak.

"Lyonel, we're glad you made it back safely." Then he looked at Zelda, asking, "Is this...?"

"Thank you," Lyonel started, then glanced down at Zelda, and nodded his head, "Princess Zelda, yes. Princess, this is my first in command, Dorrel, and you'd know him as Betarro's brother."

Zelda offered the man a smile of greeting, having been ready to reach for his hand to shake it, as well as to mention how she'd thought there was a resemblance there, except that he had brown hair instead of red, when Dorrel along with the others near him, dropped to a knee before her in a show of respect and of allegiance, reminding her that they considered themselves commoners while she was royalty.

Nonetheless, Zelda decided in that very moment that she was never going to get used to that response to meeting people.

"Your highness, we are honored to be in your presence finally, and we pledge our fealty to you. My life is yours to command."

Zelda took in a breath, glancing up at Lyonel to see what he might've said, but he didn't seem as if he were surprised by the reaction. Deciding to treat it as a common occurrence like him considering she really had no other means of responding, she told Dorrel, "Thank you, good sir. It's wonderful to know there are so many willing to fight for the restoration of Hyrule."

He remained bowed, and when he did, Lyonel tilted his head a bit as if to get Zelda's attention and tell her something without spoken word, prompting Zelda to suddenly remember to tell him, "Please rise."

When Dorrel stood again, Zelda somehow found that to be fairly silly, but she also supposed that after years of being led under evil influences, it was nice to actually have some faith in someone's abilities again as their leader, so she didn't think much more on it. After all, she still had the mind set of interacting with other people as if she were a commoner, and she somehow got the feeling that while she didn't feel any more important on some type of social scale than the people here before her, she could use her experiences from growing up to better relate with and to them.

With that thought in mind, she told Dorrel, "I know Betarro and Kiama. They're good people. Have you seen them yet?"

"No," Dorrel replied, then looked at Lyonel, "do you know where they are?"

"The stables with our horses," Lyonel informed him "they'll be up soon. In the meantime, if a room has been prepared, I'd like to take the Princess to get a little rest after our travels."

"Yes, it should be ready momentarily."

"There's no rush," Zelda informed him so he wouldn't feel as if he might've been impeding on her, "I can stay and help get the others who are injured proper treatment."

"Thank you, Princess, but I'm sure we can handle this, and you've helped by getting the people to safety. You should rest before you do anymore." Dorrel smiled, then he turned to his side, "In the meantime, this is Tenio and Jesop. They're two of our best members."

The two men he pointed out bowed to her, and Lyonel, though he didn't appear to be, had been watching everyone passing them carefully. As they spoke in introduction to one another, a lady came to the steps above them and called down that there was a room available for the Princess when she arrived.

Hearing the words, Lyonel said, "Princess, come with me."

"Alright," Zelda nodded, and she began to walk beside of him, her arm still in his as it had been before. Once they turned away from the people they'd been speaking with, Lyonel caught the fleeting sight of metal glinting in the firelight of the torches and a swift movement upwards. It was all Lyonel needed to glimpse before he reacted, swinging around to catch the arm of Jesop who'd just raised a dagger to the Princess's back.

Gripping his arm tightly, Lyonel tugged Jesop's arm around and behind his back, jerking it so hard that the revolt member yelled in pain and dropped the dagger before his knee hit the floor. Everyone else just stared, some in shock, others in confusion as they'd missed most of the actions, and Zelda didn't know what to think. Dorrel stepped forward however and exclaimed loudly, "Jesop! What is the meaning of this!?"

Jesop stayed quiet, refusing to answer apparently, though he cringed when Lyonel twisted his arm again, apparently wanting him to talk, and finally Jesop responded, "She's the reason we're all being attacked!"

The words set sour tastes in almost everyone's mouths, and Dorrel shook his head. "Oh Jesop, you fool. Do you _really_ believe such idiocy!?"

At that moment, the doors opened and Betarro walked in with Kiama. Seeing the position the man was in with Lyonel holding him, Dorrel looked over at his brother and pointed, "This man is a traitor. He just tried to stab the Princess."

"What!?," Betarro yelled in anger, and Kiama went wide eyed. "Why!?"

Lyonel took in a breath slowly amidst the anger of the two brothers, and said in order to calm them for the moment, "Dorrel, Tenio, have Jesop put in a cell. We'll decide on what to do with him later."

"Yes, sir," Dorrel responded, and Betarro watched his brother haul the man off before glancing over at Zelda with Kiama.

"Are you alright?" Kiama asked the question, looking a bit concerned for her royal friend.

"Yes," Zelda nodded, still stunned by what had just happened, "just shocked, that's all."

"As I'd said," Lyonel turned back to her to take her arm, "let's go for now so you can rest." Walking off with her, Zelda followed him up the steps, heading to the room at the top level that she was apparently to rest in while she stayed there. The words Jesop had said haunted her the entire way, and while she knew it wasn't completely true, she couldn't help but feel badly. After all, it was partly her fault that so much destruction was taking place, wasn't it? Ganondorf was after her, and she hadn't shown herself to him yet, allowing it to continue.

Lyonel made a turn with Zelda, leading her up another flight of steps and through a door that led onto a secure wooden bridge. Zelda became distracted from the path her thoughts had taken when they stepped out onto it, the Zora River far below them, birds flying beneath them and up toward the clouds, the scenery honestly breathtaking. She had to stop for a moment in order to look it all over, turning to glance in the opposite direction from Lake Hylia, and she could see the town up the river a ways as well.

"It really is beautiful here."

Lyonel glanced down at her and gave a nod of his head in agreement. He allowed her to take her glances while they were there, and after a few moments, before she began to walk with him again, she asked, "Lyonel, was Jesop right? Would it be better to turn myself in?"

The words made the Royal Guard arch a brow and look down at her. "So he'll stop attacking Hyrule itself?"

"I suppose," Zelda sighed, "though I know he'll continue to do so even if I did. I guess I'm just a little tired."

She heard Lyonel's snort of amusement, and she couldn't help her own smile. "We all have odd thoughts when we need a little rest," he spoke logically, "but no, I don't think Jesop was right at all, simple bitter because he lost things he cared for as the rest of us have."

Sometime during his words after leading her into a hallway adjacent to the bridge they'd taken across the cliff sides, Lyonel pushed the door open to the room Zelda was meant to stay in, and let her inside, finding an older woman who looked very regal and proper for her age dressing the bed with a few pillows. As she stepped into the room and took in her new surroundings, she considered it was much more than she'd been expecting.

Despite the fact that the rooms were carved out of the caves, it was still very comfortable in feel. Zelda couldn't help a little smile at the thought the woman had put into the room, and she looked at the window, was able to see into the distance the trees lining the landscape with mountains behind them as the sun set over it all, considering to herself just how nice it actually was.

Seeing them, the lady smiled brightly and she walked over to them both. Bowing forward to Zelda, she said while still in the bow, "Your Royal Highness, I am Bessa. I used to serve your mother as her personal seamstress."

Zelda smiled at the woman, replying as Bessa stood back up straight again, "It's wonderful to meet you. You knew my parents?"

"Oh yes. In fact, I was wondering if before you went to rest, I might get your measurements. I still have the design for a gown your mother wanted me to make eventually when the time for your coronation came. Oh!," she looked at Lyonel, "I also have her circlet the Queen had crafted for her. She wanted me to base the colorings off of it. If you could, remind me to check for it, the Princess deserves to have it."

"As you wish," Lyonel responded, making a mental note as a favor to the lady before himself now.

Thanking him, Bessa looked back at Zelda and the circlet she wore now, the blue stones in it, as well as the amulet, and she couldn't help but smile brightly. "You really do look like the spitting image of your mother at that age, just before she wed your father. Well, we'd managed to get the design completed, but of course didn't have the proper size since you hadn't grown up, let alone been born," she smiled brightly.

"Oh, that would be perfectly fine if you'd like to take them now," Zelda told her. Once she'd done so, she let the woman pull out her tape measure which she kept handy around her neck like any true seamstress would, and Zelda held out her arms while Bessa commented, "This is a lovely shade of red. Where did you get this dress?"

"A friend of mine named Kiama. She's here with her father. She also has a fondness for sewing and making dresses."

"I see, then perhaps I'll have to find her and get her to help me," Bessa smiled as she stood back up after saying so, thanking Zelda that she'd allowed her to take her measurements. "I know this is premature, but I wanted to get the measurements so that I could finally make the outfit. I thought you might appreciate seeing something your mother would have gifted you with."

With a nod, Zelda told her, "Yes, that would be lovely. Actually, it's more than I could have asked for." She smiled at the woman and then shook her head, "But, you knew I was her daughter and not the son I was replaced with?"

With the inquisitive comment, Bessa looked down in shame, and Lyonel informed Zelda with a shake of his head, "She was one of the ones brainwashed by Dragmire's magic. She found out the truth and left Hyrule's Palace years ago."

Bessa nodded her head, saying, "I'm very sorry I couldn't remember the truth, Princess. I also feel that perhaps making the gown might make up for the things I've done wrong."

It was now that Zelda could see how everyone had truly been affected by the influence of Dragmire's magic. Maybe many felt guilty like Bessa did, as if they should have known the truth, remembered everything, all along. Zelda put her hands on the woman's shoulders in response and told her, "You've nothing to atone for. I don't hold anyone responsible except for Dragmire."

"Thank you, my lady." Bessa smiled, seeming happy to hear the words, then she looked between the two of them and added, "I'll go start looking for my materials. Rest well, Princess."

Nodding, Zelda watched the polite woman leaving, and she shut the door behind her as she went. With a deep breath, as the sun started drawing down outside, Zelda didn't realize until she'd made it into the room just how tired she was. Holding the spell over the group for most of the day was definitely an exerting challenge, and she was starting to think more and more that the sound of bed was a good idea. Standing at the door still, she also considered asking Lyonel if there was anything to eat.

Turning, she removed her cloak, carrying it over to fold and place onto her dresser. Lyonel seemed to know how she felt as she seemed to be a bit weary. They'd both sleep well that evening more than likely, and he told her, "I had a plate of fruit and bread brought up for you to eat," he motioned to the table beside the bed. "I thought it would help you quench your hunger."

"Thank you, Lyonel," Zelda told him, turning to face him. "Thank you for everything, not just today."

"It's my station, my lady. Nothing more, nothing less."

Zelda knew that his logically explained comment was true, but she had to thank him nonetheless. "But you don't have to be as thoughtful as you are, whether you realize that or not." She walked over to the end of the bed and sat down on it, reaching for her boots in order to remove them. Before anything else could be said, she asked, "Might I ask you something before you leave?"

"I'm not leaving," he replied, "only stationing myself outside of your door. But yes, you may ask me a question."

Zelda smiled at his protectiveness, knowing he had Link's duty now, and that, especially with Jesop's actions as proof, she could have very well been smothered in her sleep. As unsettling as the thought was, she knew Lyonel would never let that happen, so she rested easier with him around. Finally she looked back at him once her boots were settled at the foot of the bed on the floor next to one another, and she asked him, "What happened with you and Arden that evening? It's clear to see that you bested him but," she shrugged, "did you kill him?"

The question seemed to draw a somewhat more serious demeanor into Lyonel, and he tilted his head forward before he shook it no. "I did not. I got the upper hand, and I could have easily killed him, but I left him to live."

Zelda narrowed her brows in consideration, asking, "Did you want to take mercy on him?"

Lyonel thought back to that night, to the words spoken as he stood over Arden with his cutlass bearing down against the sword-less berserker's throat. Arden was injured, and stared up at Lyonel with a sneer.

The former royal guard had lost his hood, the scar on the right side of his face visible. It encompassed some of his brow and upper right cheek, covered his right temple, and the ear which no long had it's point. Half of it was missing, looking as if something very jagged had destroyed it. His blonde hair was back neatly across his head, a few strands caught out of place in the wind. He stared down at his bested enemy with sky blue eyes in some hesitation.

"What are you waiting for, Lyonel? Go on, you've won, so stop delaying!"

The words had been snarled angrily up at the Hylian warrior, and Lyonel looked Arden over, his wounded form on the ground, the scar on his face, his right eye no longer working due to the slash made by the same blade that now threatened to take his life ten years later. Lyonel took in his breath and gave Arden his decision.

"No, I will not end your life tonight. I'll leave that sentence to the king you've bound yourself to, and let him decide your fate. Perhaps, if he lets you live, you'll someday remember how you once were, and you'll see my son rise up to destroy all that has come to stand for evil in this Kingdom."

Zelda stared at Lyonel as he spoke the words to her. She couldn't help herself, standing up slowly as Lyonel finished his story, "I turned and left, as I knew that his judgement lay elsewhere, not with me."

The story completed, all Zelda could do was stare at him. It was almost unbelievable to her. "You're Link's father?" She asked, unable to help herself from stepping toward him before she stopped, another thought entering her head. "And then Myriad is his mother?"

Lyonel didn't respond right away, though it didn't surprise him that Link had waylaid the news of his wife learned from Arden that same evening to Zelda, and Zelda watched him breathing in deeply, before he finally nodded his head. "Yes, we are both his parents. The truth was hidden from Dragmire completely. Myriad knew if Dragmire found out she was carrying a child, he would use our son against her. So she never let anyone know she was carrying. For the first few months of his life after his birth, we'd allowed another family in the palace to adopt him as if he were already an orphan, though we took care of him along with the parents who were caring for him."

After a moment of thought, Lyonel added the words, "She and I knew from the beginning we could not keep him as our own until Dragmire was removed from the picture, but she had no means of battling him during her pregnancy, would have never risked the life of her child like that. Link was Myriad's greatest joy, and the situation became her greatest sorrow."

The story made Zelda's eyes water up. She could only imagine the nightmare of having to unwillingly give your child up for their own safety, never knowing if they were happy or sick or laughing or sad. In a way, she also felt somewhat envious, because her own parents didn't even know she existed. But before she could let herself travel down that path of thinking, she pushed it all away and asked the most logical question after clearing her throat.

"Why didn't you tell him? He thinks you're both dead."

"It was better for him that way, Zelda." Lyonel started, sighing his breath while he walked over to the window, leaning against the base. "The hardest moment of my life was seeing him for the first time in seventeen years when you two showed up in Roshala, and then acting as stoic as I'd did to keep things from seeming strange. Seeing the man he'd grown into, and knowing I'd missed all of it ate at me every moment of that first meeting, and it still does. I envy you," he told her, looking over at her from beneath his hood, "for being able to be there where I couldn't be. But if he found out that Myriad was his mother, you know for a fact he wouldn't rest until she was freed of the Sacred Realm, and this won't suit. Not to mention, he could still be used as leverage against her easily."

Zelda had to wipe her eyes, her tears free falling now. But the words made sense to her, and she would have been envious if she were in Lyonel's shoes too. But in a way, she had an advantage, could tell Lyonel more about his son than he knew, and she told him so. "If you'd like, I can tell you stories. I mean, I wasn't always around, but up until we were seven, we know just about everything there is to tell about one another."

Hearing this, Lyonel thought it over, slowly nodding, "I would," he took in a slow breath that sounded a little shaky, "very much appreciate that, my lady."

Zelda had stepped in behind him. Deciding she would do so sometime before Link returned, she asked, "Can he never know about this until all is said and done?"

"I...," Lyonel drew out, looking outside again. "I want to tell him more than anything. But I don't want him burdened with worry either. I want his head cleared, able to think straight in these troubling times."

Looking up toward his face in thought, she realized exactly why Lyonel had looked so familiar to her when he'd smiled at her earlier. It was Link's smile, just as she could see now that his solemn, thoughtful expression was the same as Link's whenever he was in a similar mood. Unable to see most of his face most times had disallowed them both to notice the similarities between the two men, but everything was starting to make more sense now. It was then that she considered Link's personality, and how he might react to this news.

"Lyonel, I still think he should know. Soon, I mean. He'll become angry, yes, but he _is_ rational. He knows how to use his better judgement in intense situations, and I'm sure he would love to know that his father thinks so highly of him. Besides, you've had a very good reason to hide the truth from him, and there's no shame in your reasoning. If you told him now, it would only make him feel as if he had something more to actually fight for."

She could see that tears were rolling down his cheeks. He hadn't cried in a long time now, and he was quiet, but they were there nevertheless. Zelda wished she had a handkerchief to offer him, but sadly, she only had a comforting hand on his shoulder. He needed time, she knew that, and didn't say anything to him as he thought about what he needed to, simply waiting for a response if he had one to give. But she hoped he would agree, after all, she would love to see Link reunited with his father finally at least.

Once calm and collected again, he said, "I understand that. But, I'd like to ask you not to tell him. I would rather be the one to do so, as it's my job."

"Of course," she nodded in agreement, "that's completely sound. I wouldn't take away your privilege."

"Thank you," he told her, turning away from the window and walking to the door quietly. Once there, he took the knob and looked over at her, saying, "Get some rest. We'll discuss more of this later. I need to think on this more."

"Alright, please do that. Then we'll speak later. Good night, Lyonel."

"Good night, my lady," he returned politely and then shut the door behind himself. Zelda stared at it for several long moments before she turned and headed to the bed, sitting down and pulling the plate of food on the bedside table over onto her lap. Now that she had time alone, she could do some real thinking, and all she could consider were Link's parents.

She thought about how she'd said Myriad had sacrificed so much for Hyrule, and she knew now the full extent of it. Myriad had to give Link up in order to protect him, and it made her shed another few tears for the woman. It also made her cry of happiness too, knowing that Link's parents actually were alive, and he had the chance to know them both.

She just hoped that wherever Link was right now, he was fine, perhaps even heading back to their location with survivors in tow. More than likely, she knew he was at least fairing well.


	43. Testament

_**Author's Note:**__ I wanted to thank X-Ray Dog for having such epic music and inspiring the writing for the events of this chapter. I highly suggest you guys listen to their songs "Here Comes the King" and "Gothic Power" while reading this. Just look it up on youtube, you won't be disappointed xD!_

_Chapter 42 - Testament_

Ganondorf was a slow mover, giving Link the upper hand in that instance, but he hit with the force of a boulder. Their blades sparked as the rains beat down on them, back forth their weapons clashed in swift yet aggressive meetings, and Link could feel his entire body vibrating when his shield was hit with Ganondorf's sword. Nevertheless, the Hylian didn't back down, and simply retaliated with a swift strike to the false king's side.

Ganondorf stepped back, avoiding the swipe with the Master Sword, and somehow, Link got the feeling that, considering all of his dark power, Ganondorf was toying with him in a way. He could only hope that wasn't the case, though it did make sense considering the King of Evil didn't wish to kill him right off it would seem. But as he'd had that thought, the battle somehow seemed to pick up.

When the false king made another strike, Link moved to jump backwards to avoid being hit by the deadly blade. While he flew back through the rain in the air, he began charging his own blade, and he swiped it downwards toward his rival in order to try to keep him off balance. A beam of energy shot out at Ganondorf, who seemed to anticipate this, drawing his cloak to the side across him chest.

As the beam of energy was about to hit him, he swiped his arm to the side and unleashed three dark orbs from beneath his cloak, one of them consuming the beam Link had shot at him just before it could smash into his body, the other two following Link into the air and then down to the ground.

Link used his shield to block one as he landed, the shield reflecting the dark projectile in a random direction. As the second and last projectile neared him, Link brought his sword up and thrust it down against it, sending it flying back toward his enemy, the black color turning to a stark white once hit with the Master Sword.

As the orb flew at a higher rate of speed, Ganondorf lifted his arm protectively, sneering and swiping back at the traveling projectile. It once again changed colors back to black, and was knocked toward Link once more with the king's laughter trailing behind it, though much more quickly than it had been moving before.

Unprepared for the instance of attack, Link threw himself out of the way, and the projectile slammed into debris from a home behind himself, knocking up rocks and dirt high into the air to fall back down with the pouring rain, which caused Link to shield his face. Once the debris settled he glanced back and noticed a shadow behind himself in the dim light of the evening, rolling to the side as a heavy boot would have come down onto his back. Having missed, Ganondorf turned his blade to swipe in a downward arc, meeting it to Link's shield with a loud metal ping.

On his back beneath his shield and the powerful dark blade the king used, Link pushed his shield to the side with a grunt of effort and drew his sword up as Ganondorf backed away, catching his cheek with a slice from the tip of the Master Sword before Link kicked his foot into his enemies chest and sent him backwards. He used the room to get up from the muddy ground and turned his arm to slash at Ganondorf once more.

The slice to his cheek didn't seem to deter Ganondorf one bit, their blades coming back together again in a battle that would have been fit for two titans battling on a mountainside, neither of them toying with the other anymore now as the skies grew darker over them, lightening streaking across it as if to mimic one hit after another of their blades together; relentless in their bid to bring each other down.

The darkness and light sparked between them as they fought, both swords reflecting that energy, managing to get nicks and cuts in one another's flesh, moving around each other with the mettle of the most skilled warriors. Thunder exploded in the distance at the same time a strike to the Master Sword was given, the blade of light held horizontally above Link's face, his blue eyes gleaming coldly up into the black eyes above them as Ganondorf bared down on his enemy, pushing him down into a crouched position on one knee.

Link sneered up from behind a bloodied brow and soaked hair at his nemesis, Ganondorf chuckling while pushing the Hylian down as if to plant him permanently into the earth itself.

With his grunt of effort, Link heard the words, "It's time to end this now, Hero," and Link watched Ganondorf raising his arm above his head, black energies gathering around his fist with a whir of energy beneath the sparking clouds in the sky, illuminating the Hylian's face while he witnessed the final blow growing stronger and stronger, the wind whipping violently across the both of them.

As this happened, the Master Sword began to glow a bright white, Link's teeth bared as he used every bit of his strength to fight back against Ganondorf, pushing up off of his knee in the face of his enemy while their grinding swords sparked. Link refused to allow Ganondorf to keep him at such a vulnerable, crouched position while he so easily harmed him.

His dark power gathered in the face of good, and with a swift movement of his arm as Link pushed himself back up, that darkness was hurled downwards as Link finally managed to bring his blade up in the same instance, knocking the enemy sword aside. A burst of light energy was arced forth with the movement, and the two opposing forces slammed into one another with all of the force of an explosion, knocking the both of them apart from each other.

Zelda's eyes opened as she sat forth from where she'd dozed off on the bed with a loudly made gasp of air, staring ahead at the door with wide violet blue eyes. It took her a moment to get her mobility going, but once she did, she swiftly pushed herself up out of bed and ran to the window with heavy pants. Staring off into the distance from the window on the cliff side, across Lake Hylia, she was able to see the dark clouds gathered there now.

Something was terribly wrong. Lyonel, having stood watch outside of Zelda's room, heard her awakening and he had moved into the chamber thinking she might've been in danger. When he did, he saw her heading swiftly to the window, following her. As he reached it, and saw the clouds for himself, his brows narrowed in concern, and Zelda could only utter one word in that moment.

"Link..."

The enemies came to land in the mud, silently strewn apart, their weapons near them yet still out of hand, both wounded by the skill the other possessed. Only the sound of the rain and thunder was heard now while the skies had turned as dark as night in the evening time itself where the sun still shined just over the horizon, but was unseen through the clouds.

Silently unconscious, neither moved for several moments, until finally, fingers twitched, eyes opened, and slowly he pushed himself up.

Link continued to lay there, unmoving, slowly finding himself caught within a waking nightmare, his eyes moving back and forth beneath his lids as he tried to pry them open. While he did so, finally managing the feat somehow, he saw the blurred visage of Ganondorf settled across from him, heard the king's heavy breathing amidst the rain and thunder, as if the false king had been just as effected by the fight as his enemy. Though apparently he was recovering much more swiftly, the sight slowly coming into focus in Link's blue eyes.

"I believe it's time to show you the true meaning of suffering," he said on a low tone of voice that could be described as nothing but menacing. Link pushed himself up on his arm slowly in response to the words, seeing his sword near by in the mud, and he reached for it before he heard noises close by. It sounded as if something was sprouting from the ground, and he looked back as he felt a barbed vine twist its way around his mid section.

Link grunted as he was jerked into the air, the spiky thorns of the vine digging into his chainmail, as well as his skin, and he reached for his sword again to try to cut the twisting limbs away. Before he could reach the blade awaiting him, another thorned plant wrapped around his arm and stopped him. Grunting, he was jerked backwards, lifted painfully into the air.

A leg was grabbed, and the vines tightened their grip, drawing blood from his body to soak his clothing as he tried to struggle, hearing the laughter of the evil king that manipulated the events, barely able to see the man mounting his horse across the field of rubble and debris from him, turning to look back to watch as his enemy was caught within the web of poisonous barbs he'd trapped him in.

Link glared out at him with a murderous intent in his sea blue eyes that was turned to a cringe of pain while his body was continually lacerated by the vines winding around him now. He fought the pain as hard as he could, but something was adding to it, some kind of poison the barbs were secreting into his skin, into the wounds they were creating.

Finally, Link let a sharp cry of pain as it felt as if his blood itself had been set on fire inside of his body. The pain was immense, and unable to fight the numerous vines grabbing for him, he was couldn't stop himself from showing outward just how much it hurt while his enemy looked on mercilessly, smirking over the cruel situation. Had Link only been a bit stronger, he would have been able to move more swiftly, rise from their unconscious states sooner, and avoid this torment he was going through now.

He hadn't yet been strong enough, and their meeting premature for him. The last thought in his mind that he could draw on before the pain clouded all of his thoughts was a vow that the next they met, he would be strong enough to erase this abomination of a man completely from the face of the world.

"And so Zelda shall see, as the rest of Hyrule," Ganondorf spoke amidst another pain filled outcry, "exactly how vulnerable it really is with your broken body left standing here as a testament to that fact." He sneered slightly before adding, "I will have more than Hyrule, and you will survive past tonight. You will survive to bring to me that which I need to conquer the realms of this world and beyond it. And I will be waiting for you to fulfill that destiny for me, Hero of Legend."

And so he left the ruined town, the Redead rising in his wake, standing sentinel in the darkness of night around the cage of barbed vines entrapping the Hero, silently promising that for this entire night at most, Link would be forced to feel the burn of his blood inside his skin, the stabbing of the thorns tangling him. Anyone who tried to save him would perish before the dawn rose in the sky while his undead guards were still watching.


	44. Response

_Chapter 43 - Response_

Dawn eventually rose, the newly cloudless sky allowing the rays of sunlight to shine in on the ruins in which Link had been left to the torment put upon him. The vines that had wrapped around him formed a tall sentinel amidst the fallen houses of the once peaceful village. Still caught within the tangle of barbs, as a reminder to all who passed what would happen in resistance of the King of Evil, Link's bloodstained body barely moved. Over night, he'd only been conscious very few times, able to see the scattered group of ReDead creatures harboring around him, preventing any travelers from coming closer who could perhaps offer him aide if they were benevolent, though no one was about as far as he could see.

Having eventually grown numb to the pain, illness making him feel the weakest he ever had, Link passed out completely later that night, thankfully not slipping back into consciousness in his exhaustion.

The light of morning shed the threat of the ReDead beings that had infested the area surrounding the trapped and for better or worse crucified Hylian with no means of escape on his own, the Master Sword laying in the dried mud along with the Hylian shield, a testament that the Hero had fallen in battle the evening beforehand.

Booted feet slowly headed toward him in the morning light, a young lady with a fairy companion Link and Zelda had both met previously named Jada, and the blonde stood before the stilled plant life holding Link captive, looking up at his face. He was unconscious, blood trails across his cheeks and forehead, his clothing dirty and also stained with the red color his body had shed, and Jada grabbed one of the vines, but she couldn't break it. It only tightened it's grip around the Hylian she wanted to free whenever she tried to move them, so she let go swiftly as Nissa landed on her shoulder.

"We have to do _something_!"

"I know," Jada whispered out to the confused fairy, both of them looking for a means to help Link, and she glanced over to see his sword resting on the ground. Moving to it, she grabbed the hilt in her somewhat dainty hands, trying to lift it up, however it would barely budge. With a grunt of effort, the weapon fell away from her fingers and back into the dirt as she slipped onto her bottom because of the strength she'd exerted to try and lift the apparently very heavy item.

Jada looked the sword over, and Nissa whispered out, "It's the Master Sword. Only he can use it."

"But it's all there is," Jada replied with a frown, able to see her reflection amongst the dirt staining the metal of the blade, adding, "maybe there's some sheers in the rubble here somewhere, but it would take so long to find them."

Staring at the sword, Jada thought over what she could do to help the one who'd given her the freedom back which she'd lost for so long, and she glanced back at his pain stricken face. She'd waited in hiding all night long to get the chance to help him, with no other way to reach him until those undead creatures had disappeared, and now that she had it, she wasn't going to waste it.

She'd seen the battle between Link and the Jackals, as well as the king himself, and had heard every word they'd spoken, as Nissa had. With the thoughts in mind, seeing him as he'd been left now after so valiantly warding those threats off, Jada pushed herself back up and tried to grab the Master Sword again, grunting with all her might to pull it up, but she could only move it so far before dropping it again. When it fell a second time, she gasped in her breath with the released effort and punched her fist into the dirt with her frustrations, then turned quickly and went toward the vines.

Looking for the best place to grab them, carefully taking them and climbing up onto a thicker one to support herself, she reached up for Link's face to touch his cheek.

"Link? Can you hear me?"

He flinched at the touch but his eyes did not open. Jada took in her breath deeply and kept her hand against his balmy skin, hot despite the coolness of the very late autumn air, trying to keep some contact with him so he would know he was not alone. Tears fell down her cheeks, and she spoke to him. "Link, you're not alone. It's Jada, maybe you remember me, but we didn't talk much before. Even still, I'm going to try to get you down. Forgive me for not being able to do so sooner. Your sword's too heavy for me to carry though."

As she spoke, his lips had parted, and he did say something, but she couldn't understand it. Leaning in closer, she asked, "What?"

"It sounded like Zelda," Nissa replied.

Jada continued to stare at his face, offering the best comfort she could to him with her fingers brushing his cheek slowly, and he repeated himself, this time, though very soft and broken, the words were much clearer. "Zelda...don't go..."

It was an odd thing to say, and neither girl really understood it completely. "Is he dreaming?" Nissa asked uncertainly.

"He has a fever," Jada replied, "his skin is warm and flushed. So maybe he's hallucinating." Once she'd said the words, she climbed back down and looked at Nissa, telling her, "Let's search for something sharp so we can cut these vines away. I'll head one direction, and you go the other."

"Good idea, it won't take as long," Nissa chimed in and they both moved in order to look for anything they could find, broken glass, sheers of some type, maybe even a knife from a fallen villager who might've carried one. Jada, looking up after several moments of searching, heard hooves trotting toward the area, and she ducked down behind some rubble quickly and slowly lifted her head to glance over the edge of the stone to see the source of the sound.

When she did, she heard Nissa calling almost as soon as she'd spotted the brown furred animal. "Jada! Epona came back!"

Epona had slowly trotted toward the mesh of vines caging her owner, stopping a few feet away from them. As she did, Jada slowly approached the horse so she wouldn't startle her while Nissa flew overhead, and took the reigns gently. "How loyal," she smiled, glad that at least now, once she could free Link, she could carry him to somewhere much safer. "Nissa, did you find anything?"

"The glass I found is too small to use," Nissa admitted. "Check Epona's saddles!"

Thinking that was a good idea, Jada started looking through the satchels tied to the horses back, and she found Link's cloak, a fairy in a bottle, which she kept handy for once they'd freed him, and a few miscellaneous items before she heard a voice coming from behind her on the same path the horse had trotted up over.

"I believe we can assist you."

Nissa suddenly tinkled in sound as if excited over who she saw and exclaimed, "Impa!"

Jada spun around and saw two people on a large black stallion's back, neither of which she'd ever met before. The woman was pretty though, with shortly cropped white hair and a tan skin tone, though the man behind her looked fairly intimidating even if he was apparently blind. As they rode in, having followed Epona who'd led them both to where her owner was currently trapped, they looked from the young girl and up at Link on the bed of barbs, understanding fully well exactly why he'd been left like that.

The hope of Hyrule crucified. Impa's fists tightened, and Arden could see it himself, still under the sight of shadows, and while his vision might not have been the same as the others around him, he could still see the extent of his kings mercy, ironically enough, with his own sightless eyes taken for the same reason by the same man.

Jada relaxed from her fear of strangers when Nissa seemed to know them, and they'd offered to assist Link. The fairy flew toward Impa swiftly and landed on her shoulder. "Impa, I'm so glad to see you here! Look what happened! It's terrible!"

Nissa had started sniffling, caring for Link a great deal, and Impa drew the reigns of their horse to a stop slowly near Epona. In response, she told the fairy, "Yes, but this will change soon."

She turned on the saddle and dismounted the horse, looking up at her traveling companion. "Arden, has the spell worn off?"

"No," the large man replied, dismounting the horse along with her. "I can still see everything." In telling her this, he moved over to the vines and looked them over, how intricately they were wound together, and he added, "These vines were more than likely poisonous, but not a poison meant to kill. We'll need to be careful that we don't prick ourselves."

"You're his friends?," Jada asked them both softly as she watched them.

Arden seemed to find that humorous somehow. Impa had climbed the vines while he stood back and replied, "Actually, the kid hates my guts more than likely. I suppose this will be, as Impa put it, another means of redemption for me."

Impa smiled over the words while she inspected the vines, glad that Arden was trying to redeem himself though she'd rather him not have had this particular chance just because of the implications it had for Link. But the situation was here nonetheless, and needed to be taken care of, so she began trying to find the easiest way to get Link down, and she sighed out her breath, saying, "Arden, this will have to be done meticulously."

"Should I climb up the back and try to hold him up so he doesn't fall and hurt himself more?"

Impa looked down at the young woman from where she stood elevated off of the ground, and she finally nodded her head, though she warned her, "You may get scratched."

Jada took in a deep breath with a nod, telling Impa, "He saved my life, and I will do everything I can to help him, whether I'm put in danger for it or not. You should have seen what he went through last evening. I can't just stand by and do nothing. And my hands are small, so I can get them through easily. I'll be as careful as possible."

Jada moved once she informed Impa of that, worked her way up behind Link, and she wrapped her arms beneath his the best she could with a carefulness not to let the barbs scratch her. Once she had a good hold on him, she told Impa so, and Impa looked down at a certain vine and said, "Alright Arden, cut here first."

With a nod, seeing her hand in the black and white shadows of the spell she'd cast on him before, Arden reached over and gripped the vine, using a large dagger he carried with him to slice it through the plant, causing it to snap away. As he did, Jada could feel Link becoming a bit heavier, and she whispered to him, "You have friend here, so don't worry. We'll take you to find Zelda soon, because I think you'd like to see her again right now."

His head continued to droop forward after she whispered those words while the three did their work. It took several minutes, but finally, Arden and Impa pulled Link's body free from the barbed vines and laid him to rest on the ground. He still had some of the vines wrapped around his limbs, his palm was completely impaled on one of the large thorns, as was an ankle, and Arden carefully tugged the thorns from his skin with Impa's help while Jada brought the canteen over as Impa had asked for it.

"I found this too," Jada told her, "in the satchels."

Impa glanced up as Jada held out the bottled fairy to her, and both ladies heard Arden speaking in that moment, "This was Dark Magic, granted by the Sacred Realm, Impa. I doubt even the fairy's magic will heal him. It will be a process he'll have to undergo on his own. I've seen Ganondorf use this method of inflicting pain as torment before. The results usually lead to a slow, agonizing death the longer the person is effected by the poison in the barbs. But healing magic of this world do not work against it."

Impa sighed when Arden informed her of that. She'd gotten the feeling as much may have been the case, but was hoping it could have just been typical black magic, easily fought off with the healing powers of a fairy. But not wasting time on her disappointment for Link's sake, she said, "Then we'll do it the old fashioned way."

Impa reached and felt his head, seeing that he did in fact have a fever, and she looked over the lacerations on one of his arms, rolling up his sleeve. Not only was it still slowly oozing blood, but there was a white mix of infection with it, and the sight made her sigh deeply. "If he has to do this the old fashioned way though, he may lose a limb. These wounds are already infected." Looking up at Arden across from her, she said, "We have to get him somewhere safe, and very soon now."

Arden thought over the words. As he did, Impa checked his pouches for potion and found a bottle of it. Opening it, she began to pour the green liquid over the wound and watched as it began to fizz, even steam a bit, and in reaction, Link tensed and jerked. The movement made her stop, and she held his arm still, waiting to see the results. But nothing much changed, though the blood didn't ooze as much anymore, giving her the hope that the potions, when used continually, would eventually bring him back to good health.

As Arden watched her, he considered where a safe place would be. They hadn't gone to the revolt firsthand because Impa had wanted to travel for potential survivors from the raids on Hyrule's villages before going there, and as it stood, neither of them were completely certain of the location.

But Arden knew who was.

"Myriad," he said, drawing her attention, "there's a stone near here in Misty Falls. Lyonel told her where it was, but I never found out for myself. We can ask her and take him there, saying it's close, and if it isn't, maybe she knows somewhere we _can_ go."

Impa smiled at him and nodded, "Then let's go now." She glanced over at Jada, having heard the young lady's determination to help her savior from previously, and she asked her, "I'm sorry, dear, I still haven't asked you your name. I'm Impa, and this is Arden."

"I'm Jada," she replied, and watched as Impa gave her a warm smile.

"Then, Jada, you will ride with me and Arden can carry Link."

"Okay," Jada nodded, and she turned to make sure everything was placed back into Epona's satchels.

Giving her a nod, Impa replied as she went, "But first, we need to get Link's sword on his back again. We'll have to use his own hand to do so, because we can't leave the Master Sword behind. It may not be in danger of being stolen, but I do not want to run the risk either way."

With those words, they used Link's hand to fold around the blade and carefully lifted it as if he were doing the work turning it to put in the sheath on his back. It somehow felt symbolic to them to be giving the Hero of Legend his sword back, as if this may all just come out to better skies in the future, and finally slipping the not so heavy blade with his own hand folded around the hilt back into the sheath, they grabbed his shield as well, fully restoring a piece of Hyrule's Hope.

A short while later, they were moving on horseback through Misty Falls, finding the Myriad Stone they needed, and contacted the Sage in order to find out where the revolt was located exactly. If they could reach it within due time, then they would hopefully be traveling there soon now.

---

Ganondorf had returned to the Palace, recovering from the run in with Link he'd had much more quickly than his opponent was recovering from his own injuries, but that wasn't to say that he Evil King himself hadn't experienced his own suffering. The magic Link had used against him, that of light, while not powerful, was still a bane Ganondorf would have rather avoided.

He knew that, as he'd told Link, once the Legendary Hero returned for a final confrontation, those powers would have grown much stronger, perhaps even to a point of being a threat. No doubt Myriad would advise Link to head to the Spirit Temple in the desert, the last Temple where any dark orbs were located, before going to confront the Evil King finally. This was all expected and logically understandable. The one thing Ganondorf _didn't_ understand was where Link had gained such power to begin with, no matter how weak it still was when they'd faced off the evening before.

Having stepped into his courtyard, the false king glanced across it to the Myriad Stone which stood there glowing softly, and perhaps, though she would more than likely not speak of it, he'd just found someone who knew the answer.

Besides, he had a story he'd like to tell anyway, and walking over to that stone, he placed his hand over it, awaiting the response he knew wouldn't come. "Myriad," he started, "all of Hyrule's lands are now being cast into shadow, its hero left crucified in a standing bed of barbs he won't easily escape from. Even when he does, he'll have a long road before him to mend over. But I've allowed him to live for a simple reason. You know what that reason is."

No response came, not surprising from the predictable Sage of Light, he thought, then continued. "Have you honestly nothing to say to this? If not, then you have odd means of showing sympathy toward the only hope of Hyrule being left essentially for dead." After speaking the words, he turned his black eyes to the stone and watched its glowing softly beneath his fingertips, about to scoff before he was stopped altogether from saying anything at all.

In an unpredictable moment, the area surrounding the king darkened a bit, the Stone finally coming to life for him, and Myriad's voice rang forth clearly in response to the one she'd been ignoring now for so long. "You are planning to come to me eventually, Ganondorf. Your continued attempts to contact me in order to waylay distressing information only proves as much. So it is now that I ask you to cease trying to break my spirit, for once you have found your way into the Sacred Realm to unleash my powers for your own, it is then that I shall show you my sympathy toward the Hero of our people, as well as my contempt for what you've done."

Ganondorf was honestly surprised for once, the notion bringing a smile to his face. Looking down at the stone he touched, he replied, "Impressive, I was starting to believe the rumors of your fierce protectiveness were unfounded. Spoken like a true martyr, I commend you." He chuckled softly, then went on to add, "So, you accept the fact that I will eventually overcome you and your pride and joy, Link and Zelda?"

A short pause drifted between the words as the realms drifted between the conversing enemies did now, and Myriad spoke words to him that actually pleased him. "Ganondorf, your fate was set into play long ago, as was mine. You will inevitably break the seal your father placed upon the realm. This much is for certain, and undeniable."

"Well," he started on coy response, "I must say you're continuing to surprise me. Not what I'd expected at all."

"Yes," Myriad added, then told him what he did not wish to hear, "and you should keep that in mind for future engagements."

With those words, the Stone went silent, cutting herself off from the King of Evil once more. Ganondorf stared down at the stone with a sneer before he drew his hand away from it and scoffed. In the end, it wouldn't matter, she could become as spontaneous as she wanted, it still wouldn't change the story. Myriad's powers would eventually be his along with all other power there was to be gained between the two realms. But first, there was something he wanted more.

The other two halves of the Triforce for his own.


	45. Aftermath

_Chapter 44 - Aftermath_

Zelda had to be detained. Lyonel disallowed her to go after Link, though he himself felt the need to do so, and instead, sent out someone to look for him. While he knew the Princess had an intuition that wasn't to be denied, and if she knew from her senses that something terrible had happened to his son and her friend - probably more than friend considering the kiss he'd witnessed - then it probably was true and worried Lyonel just as much as it did her. But leaving for him was not an option at that moment in time.

So they sent a party out to find him, and contacted Myriad to let her know of the events through a stone located in one of the grottos. Myriad had not heard anything by that hour of the night however, so she had no news to waylay to them, however she did say she would pass along any information she might've come across later. Once that conversation was over, Zelda could do nothing more than sit and wait.

She couldn't sleep, though in trying to as Lyonel and Dorrel suggested she should try to get in order to retain her strength, she did pass out without knowing sometimes during the middle of the night only to awaken in the early morning. Before she'd done so however, she had relieved Lyonel of his duty officially so he could try to get his own rest, and had Dorrel watch her door, giving him instruction to alert her the moment news came along whether she actually was asleep or not. In this one instance, she did appreciate the fact that she was supposed to have authority, so she could know as soon as possible if there were any changes in the story.

The morning time seemed to draw on forever once she'd awoken though. Somehow it felt as if she were completely helpless, unsure which way to turn, and she decided that, in order to distract herself, it was time then to gather everyone and address them on the issues at hand, take up the role she had to, because she knew that the sooner she did, the more easily things would start to flow. Link, she knew, would be on her mind the entire time, but he was a part of the address she wished to speak of.

Her words told them exactly what Ganondorf had done after Dragmire had set up his Kingship for him, which was continue to use power meant for the Sages instead of setting any of it right. In doing so, he'd used the lands for his own gain instead of the gain of the people, and continued to seek out power that should not be his own to keep. Things had gone on for so long now that Hyrule had only one hope left in the Hero of Legend, and his fate hung in an unknown balance.

Most of the people listening to her had already known something wrong had happened, and Zelda relieved their fears by telling them exactly what they'd began to do to search for Link, sending out those that knew who he was, Betarro, Olnor, and even Cody agreed to go search for the missing Hylian despite his odd nature and somewhat pessimistic views.

As Zelda continued to speak, she realized more people had gathered to listen, and by the time she was done, she informed them that if the worst came to worst, she would take the advice from everyone around, including Myriad, in order to plan their next move. The people seemed to appreciate that stance and all of them nodded in agreement.

So began their wait along with their Princess to find out what had happened the evening before.

During midday, Zelda had stepped out onto one of the bridges connecting the two opposing cliff sides in order to have some time to herself to think. There'd been no sign of Link so far, and all whom had reported back also hadn't seen Jada or Nissa on top of it, which were the people she'd been thinking of most when she'd sent Link to search for survivors. It had been a very, very hard day for the Princess to keep herself in check when so much was happening that she was worried over, including trying to keep everyone else's spirits up from their own loss when hers was so down. But she was determined to do so if only because she knew that was her station, and she had to keep it in tact.

If anything, she considered it a learning experience on her part so that she could bare this type of weight when she needed to in the future. Besides, Lyonel had gone to consult Myriad once more since so much time had passed and anything new could have developed, so she just hoped that he returned with good news.

After all, if anyone else felt nearly as bad, if not worse than she did, with the worries she had for Link, then it would have been Lyonel. Because of this, she felt she could relate to him the best during this situation, and she only hoped she hadn't bothered him considering she'd probably stuck closer to him than anyone else since this situation had arisen.

As she stood there with her eyes closed and the breeze blowing over her, she heard someone stepping out onto the bridge with her and she looked up to see the very man she'd just considered. He was a sight for sore eyes somehow, and turning to face him, she asked, "Anything?"

"Yes, actually," he told her, stepping forward until he'd reached her location. "I just spoke with Myriad again. She was contacted earlier by Impa, who has found Link. Myriad directed them to bring him directly here with due haste, so they're traveling here now. I would have come here directly to tell you, but I wanted to make sure accommodations were ready for him when he arrived, as well as to let the Shaman know."

"Why? Is he hurt badly?"

"She did say he is in bad condition. The injuries he's sustained need a much more potent magic than most people know as they were received from the Dark Powers of the Sacred Realm. But he should be here very soon. The good news also is that Jada and Nissa found him first when Impa happened upon him with a very unlikely friend."

Zelda, trying to keep the thought of his condition at bay for now, asked him, "Who?"

"Arden," Lyonel responded. "Ganondorf blinded him as punishment for not being able to capture me properly. In return, Arden freed Impa from Hyrule's dungeons as a form of atonement for his sins."

Impa had been imprisoned? Zelda had no idea, though she had wondered where her friend and mentor had been for all of this time. But, the good news was that Impa was fine, and Zelda was even happy to hear that Arden was with them, and not against them, having seen his skill first hand with her own two eyes. If he was looking to atone, he would make a very valuable asset to their cause.

"Well, I do feel relieved, but at the same time," she shook her head, looking to the side and at the river far below them as it tumbled on its way, "I also feel heartbroken."

"As do I," Lyonel replied, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Is there anything you need?"

"No," she shook her head, "and I should be asking you the same thing. We are both just as wrought with worry as the other." With a sigh of breath and her head lowering as she looked at her hands, she added, "I keep thinking about how worried I am, and somehow I know it has to be even harder for you being his father, afraid of what could happen to him."

Lyonel slowly nodded, turning to lean against the railing, "As hard as it is for me, I always consider how much harder it is for my wife, unable to even see him as we can. It makes me grateful for what I do still have, and now that I have the chance again, I let her know everything that I can the moment I find out about it."

While she listened, Zelda wondered, if the situation was similar, if Link would have done the same thing for her, considering her love for him and how he'd told her he loved her before he left, kissed her, and it made her eyes tear up. She pushed the breath from her lungs in a deep sigh and shook her head slowly, suddenly chuckling softly as if she might've felt a little bit silly. The sound drew Lyonel's confused attention.

"What's funny?"

"Well," she looked over at him smiling, "we're up here drowning in our sorrows, and for all we know, when Link gets here, he'll just wave it all off like he's just scraped a knee. He seems to do that a lot, never complains of pain, at least, that I've seen of him."

The words made the older Hylian smile genuinely. "He gets that from his mother, I'll be honest," Lyonel told her. "The night she went into labor, she kept telling _me_ it would be alright."

The thought of such a scene had Zelda laughing, and it felt good to do so after so much worry. After all, if they couldn't at least speak of things in a positive light, then how would they continue to help Link to recover from his own injury whenever he arrived. She was glad they'd begun to talk now, finding that speaking of these kinds of things reminded her of her roots, and somehow it didn't seem so difficult to bare anymore.

Sobering up after a few moments from her chuckling, Zelda folded her arms against the railing of the bridge, and she tilted her head to the side in thought, "I remember when we were little, how we used to get picked on by village children because of our ears. They were mostly human, and we were the only Hylians there. He always got so mad, but mostly on my behalf. He didn't care if they called _him_ names. He was just afraid I'd get hurt by it."

The story made Lyonel smile, and he asked her to tell him more. In order to oblige him, Zelda summoned up a story in her mind about the reason he hates chickens, and claims they're only good for a meal, then told him about how he loved to fish in the pond. Lyonel seemed to hang off of every word spoken, completely interested, sucking up the information he hadn't previously known of his son that was now being given to him.

"If he likes to fish, then the both of us should visit River Town while we're here and get a new rod for him."

"I'd thought of that actually," Zelda smiled, "I think it would be nice to let him do some fishing while he's here, especially since, if he's so injured, he'll need time to recover before anything more can be done."

"Yes, well," Lyonel added to her thoughts, "his eighteenth birthday is in about three weeks, yours is in that time plus three months or so. Did you know that?"

Zelda stared over at him with a look of discovery on her face, and she shook her head, "No! Well, I mean I always knew he was just a few months older than I was, but we didn't know the exact dates. Alma used to have a party for the both of us on the day she'd received us as her children each year, but that's not for another four months now."

Lyonel smiled, glad he was able to inform her of when they'd both been born, and suddenly, Zelda seemed a little excited, "I want to throw a small party for him. I know he hates being the center of attention, but I've always wanted to know when his exact birthday was so that I could do so. Will you help me?"

Lyonel was still smiling, his look appreciative, and with a respectful nod of his head, he told her, "I would be honored to do that, my lady."

With new horizons in mind to help alleviate their current worries, Zelda hesitated, but she couldn't stop herself from reaching over and hugging him. Lyonel blinked his eyes, though he did chuckle softly and patted her back, saying, "You definitely weren't raised as royalty, Princess."

Zelda didn't care though, she thought he deserved the hug, if not more than that, and she slowly stepped back and just smiled up at him. That's when, from another bridge across and above them, they heard Tenio calling, "Lyonel! They've arrived!"

Hearing this, knowing they wouldn't have been able to see the riders below with Impa's magic in place, Zelda turned with Lyonel to go find them. Lyonel had to take her upper arm to make her slow down just a bit however, because he didn't want her rushing too far ahead without him. Not to mention, Link could have been in a state of medical care, so he wanted to let the Shaman be able to work on him before they rushed into the room. Regardless, they both moved to the area where Link would have been taken.

---

It took them a while, but they finally managed to get all of his wounds as clean as possible, finding the worst once across his chest and upper right thigh in a line of several deep punctures from the barbs that had been pulled from his body. There was slight infection in nearly all of the wounds, but considering it had only just set in, it didn't seem to be too hard to take care of once treated properly, except for one in his lower left arm which seemed to be the worst. It had progressively managed to continue bleeding out while the shaman kept cleaning it, which was why Lyonel and Zelda had been made to wait outside of the door before they could enter for a few moments longer than they'd thought they would have to.

The shaman finished his work for the time being by holding a potion to Link's lips to get him to drink it in his unconscious state while Zelda and Lyonel were finally allowed into the room. The old man stood up from the bedside chair he'd been sitting in and walked over to them both, saying, "The potion I just made him drink will keep him asleep for a while longer, and relieve his pain for him, though I'm not completely sure he would have awoken too soon anyway due to shock from that poison making him so sick and putting him in pain. Either way, it's good on his part, his body needs the rest more than anything right now. I'll be back in another two hours to see how the wounds are fairing, most of them were at least a little infected, but they cleaned up nicely. All in all, I'd say he's got a day to show signs of recovery before we can know for certain what will have to be done."

Despite how hard the words were to hear, Zelda listened to every single one of them, ad Lyonel did, and she thanked the shaman for his hard work and he welcomed her before he left the room. Alone with just Link now, the two walked over to where he lay with a portion of his chest bandaged, as well as the same types of white wraps wounds around his arms in various places. Zelda took Link's hand as she lowered herself to the chair the shaman had sat in when she saw that some of the wounds were still bleeding, the bandages turning red even though they'd only just been placed there.

Zelda had never seen him looking so weak as he did now, the expression on his face even in his sleep one of both weariness and discomfort, and she couldn't help herself as lowered her head and began to cry in earnest.

Was this her fault? Or was it meant to be? She wasn't sure, but she did know that she would stay near him until he could recover, as it was the very least she could do for her friend, or better yet, for the one she loved more than anything.

Lyonel looked down at her head bowed against the mattress, having reached down slowly himself in doing so, though he almost didn't feel he had the right to, and folded his own hand around the opposite one laying across from the hand that Zelda held. Careful not to jar the injury of his palm as he took Link's hand, Lyonel looked his son's condition over, and he reached up with his other hand and brushed his hair back, finally speaking.

"Link, when you awaken, I'll tell you everything I should have before, as soon as you're strong enough to hear it. I promise you."

Zelda lifted her head with the words and cast her tear stricken gaze up at Lyonel while he looked on at his unwitting son with a serious expression upon his face. She couldn't help but appreciate those words, utterly happy that not only did Lyonel have complete confidence in his son's ability to recover, but also in that he would tell Link the truth, and allow them both the joy of knowing what it was like to have family instead of being strangers in inhospitable lands.

Looking back at Link's face, she cleared her throat and told him, "We'll both be close by until that time comes."

He didn't make any response, only resting there soundly for the moment as he had been since they'd arrived. As it had grown silent between them, a voice came from the doorway, speaking, "He was crucified on a bed of barbs to stand as a testament that all would fall who faced Ganondorf. But he has spoken since we found him, he's been asking the name of the Princess a few times. This alone proves he's not as lost as Ganondorf might've liked."

Zelda and Lyonel looked over to see Impa standing there, Arden behind her, and Zelda closed her eyes over the thought of what had just been explained to them, but she asked Impa, "Has he opened his eyes?"

"Not yet," Impa informed her, stepping into the room. "According to Jada though, he had a tough battle against several Jackal Knights, and then the false king himself. Even in the battle with Ganondorf, he did not falter according to her words, simply had a draw with him, one in which the Evil King recovered first and then used Link's unconscious state against him like a filthy rat in order to leave him strung up for all to see who might come across the area."

Impa knew the words would be hard for Zelda to hear right now, but she couldn't hold the truth back over the situation. "This morning, Arden and I happened across Epona without her master, and followed her to the location where Link was held trapped. When we got there, Jada and Nissa were already searching for a way to free him."

Zelda nodded slowly, rubbing her fingers gently across the back of Link's bandaged hand, and she replied, "Thank you both, and tell Jada and Nissa I'm so glad they're alright."

"I will when they awaken," Impa returned, "they stayed up all night waiting to be able to go to Link and help him. We had them taken to get rest since they were both so fatigued."

"Good," Zelda nodded, then looked over at Lyonel to see that he was also listening.

Impa turned her gaze to him as well, and she looked down in shame, "Lyonel, I owe you an apology. I knew you might have been able to protect yourself, so I told Ganondorf your location as long as he spared setting up a trap for Link and Zelda in Engleton."

Lyonel shook his head, "I knew something had to be along those lines, and I hold no grudges against you. It was my calling to come here and help set up this resistance for the people anyway."

Lyonel had released Link's hand and walked over to them, giving Impa a friendly hug since it had been so long since they'd seen one another, and then he looked up at Arden. Arden, able to see with Impa's help, stood there quietly looking at Lyonel for a few moments, before he finally spoke, "I have much more to atone for, but hopefully, I can start with the return of your son."

Lyonel took in his breath slowly, just glad to hear his longtime friend saying that, then reached up his hand and put it on Arden's shoulder, replying, "No greater favor could have been done for me, Arden."

With a nod, the big man suddenly tilted his head a bit as if in thought over the statements they'd made. "Don't misunderstand," Arden then replied, "I didn't do it just to atone." He looked over at Link, pursing his lips in consideration, then he smirked, "I actually kind of like the kid. He's got spunk, like another scrawny assed Hylian I used to know."

The words had Lyonel grinning, and patting Arden's shoulder before removing his hand, he nodded and considered the man standing before him now, "Well, I seem to remember a fat stable hand slacking off in the courtyard before his own father came to make him do his work properly."

Speaking of their childhoods as such somehow seemed to bring everything full circle for the both of them. Perhaps there was still bad blood between the two, but somehow, they didn't get the feeling it wasn't anything they couldn't get over, or at least agree to disagree upon.

Zelda was happy to hear their friendly banter too, feeling somehow as if perhaps things actually were on the right track despite what had happened. As she listened to their speaking though, she felt something moving against her hand, and she looked down to see Link gently folding his fingers around hers in his sleep. The movement gave her more hope for the future, after all, Link was a fighter, and as he might've put it, he wouldn't let a few holes bring him down.

It was a good start to the aftermath.


	46. Recovery

_Chapter 45 - Recovery_

She hadn't left Link's side once since he'd been brought back from the mission she'd sent him on. She just couldn't bring herself to somehow, and evening began to settle in on them, the room darkening while the sun lowered in the sky. Zelda had fallen asleep in her chair when the shaman had awoken her in order to make her leave for just a few moments while he checked Link's wounds again and cleaned what was necessary to, but when he was done, she was faithfully at her friend's side once more. He hadn't once moved or opened his eyes yet, and she held his hand as he lay in the bed, wrapped in the blankets, unable to stop staring at his sleeping face.

She'd kept whispering she was sorry to him, hoping he could hear her, and eventually the door opened while she was contemplating a few things about the entire situation, and Lyonel stepped into the room.

"My lady, you haven't eaten, so I've brought you something."

Hearing the words, Zelda drew her eyes down. With a shake of her head, she told Lyonel, "I want him to wake up first, just once. I want to see him look at something, anything, so I can know he's going to be alright."

"I know," Lyonel replied, stepping over toward the bed with the plate in his hands. "Believe me, I know all too well what it is you want. I know the pain of blaming yourself for things as well, but I also know he'd want you to eat, and that you're not to blame."

With a soft sigh, Zelda finally nodded and she turned to take the plate from him, filled with fruit, something Lyonel figured would be light for her but still filling. Thanking him for his thoughtfulness, she set it on her lap. "You're right, he would. I'm sorry if I've been a little absent of everyone, just sitting up here with him. I suppose I just feel I have to even if I'm not at fault."

Making herself eat some of the fruit, she lifted a grape to her mouth and chewed it up quietly, not paying attention to the sweetness on her tongue, and stared ahead in silence. Lyonel watched her quietly, somehow knowingly, and he couldn't help but ask the question, "You love him completely, don't you?"

Despite all that had happened, the words still made Zelda blush sincerely. Risking a shy glance up at Lyonel, she slowly nodded her head, replying, "Maybe I shouldn't, but it happened anyway."

She thought he might start telling her it was wrong, and to be careful harboring such feelings for Link for a number of reasons, but he surprised her with he gave her a little smile and told her, "Well, love is love, and you don't pick who you decide to give it to. Besides, the two of you have been fated with heavy responsibility, and being together as you've had to be so closely would surely allow the both of you to see the truth of the others person, which is a deep basis for that kind of emotion."

She was glad Lyonel seemed to be so understanding, looking over at Link again, thinking about it all. Lyonel's words made her feel more at ease about discussing the subject with him, and she knew also that he was completely right. She hadn't even consciously considered loving Link, had just come to realize she did over time, and her thoughts went back to the night she first figured it out completely, with his shadowy mimicry. That was an event she'd rather have erased from her memories altogether, but since she knew there was no real chance of that outside of amnesia or some such thing, she would just have to learn from it and make sure she never stepped into something so blindly ever again.

But those thoughts aside, she told Lyonel, "I've loved him for a long time, you're right. Things got difficult though when we found out our true paths. I'm afraid we won't be able to be due to our stations."

Lyonel seemed curious over that comment, asking in return, "Because you're royalty and he's not?"

"Yes," she nodded, then looked over at Lyonel and added, "though, I would give up my crown for him if I had to."

Lyonel made a soft chuckle. The sound made Zelda's brows narrow in curiosity. Seeing the inquisitive expression, Lyonel shook his head as if to say he wasn't laughing at her at all, explaining, "You never know until you try. No one does. Perhaps you'll struggle for that love, and then again, perhaps one day, you'll go so far as to be married and live to grow old together. Since your parents are no longer with us, any arranged marriages are all up to your own to decide, though somehow, I don't get the feeling either of them would have arranged anything like that for you to begin with."

Zelda stared at him quietly for a moment before asking, "Was their's arranged?"

Lyonel nodded, "Yes, Nissandra was formerly a Duchess of the Court of Duvai, a small Kingdom to the northwest, and she wed your father when she was only fifteen years old."

"Fifteen!?" Zelda couldn't help her incredulous stare.

Lyonel just smiled, finding her look to be humorous. Such things were common in the royal world. Had things gone smoothly after she was born, Zelda may have already been married herself, depending on if Nissandra and Hadinaru had anymore children or not and the situation arose. But she hadn't grown up on the Court, and instead lived her life as a commoner, so her reaction was completely understandable as commoners typically married during their early twenties.

"Well, your father was only seventeen when they married. They didn't take the throne right away either. Your Grandfather, Edayus, did for five more years before he passed away."

Zelda thought over the words, considering them as she'd eaten a few more grapes, finding the family story to be interesting indeed. As she swallowed her fruit, she felt better somehow knowing that though she would never get to know her parents, there were several others who could answer her questions. But even still, the thought was a depressing one, and she pushed it from her mind completely for the time being. It grew silent for a few moments while her mind went back to what she'd been considering wh Lyonel had entered the room, and she brought it up to him then.

"I fear we have a long way to go if Ganondorf could do this to him. There are four more Temples to have their power unleashed, and we'll need to go to them all in order to really be a threat to him, won't we?"

Lyonel looked fairly contemplative over the words, and he shook his head, "Actually, there is but one other Temple. Though you've only visited two, you've unleashed four of the Temple's powers. Otherwise, Link probably would have perished in the face of Ganondorf's powers, Master Sword or not."

The words made Zelda give the man an incredulous and confused look. "How is it that we've unleashed four?"

"Well," he started, moving to lean against the wall quietly before continuing, "you've seen the diagram representing the Six Sages and their powers, haven't you?"

Zelda nodded, remembering some things that Impa had shown her, and she allowed Lyonel to continue once she'd given him her affirmation.

Seeing her nod, he told her, "On all of the diagrams, there's a set of lines connecting the powers of the different Sages together. Myriad taught me a good bit about the whole topic before we were married after we'd first met. There are three essential powers, and three connecting. Fire gives Light, Water grows Forest, and Spirit exudes Shadow. Between them all is Time and around them is Space, one in the same which contains them. You've had the power of Light enforcing you from the beginning, as Dragmire could never touch Myriad's power since he would have exposed himself much too early on in doing so. But the other five powers were more than enough to summon what he wanted."

Lyonel allowed what he'd just told her to settle in before he continued, adding, "So the orbs he placed within the Temples of the essential powers allowed him to draw from the power of their connecting energies, Forest and Shadow. With Fire and Light, you unleashed Water and Forest. Now all that remains are Spirit and Shadow."

Zelda considered the entire explanation before she tilted her head and spoke, "Intriguing. It makes sense. Drawing on the essential powers would definitely give him influence on the rest."

With a nod of his head, Lyonel added while looking in Link's direction, "Two of the Sage Powers still fuel Ganondorf. They, along with the Dark Power of the Sacred Realm backed by the Triforce of Power, were pitted against the four that the two of you freed and the Triforce of Courage, as well as one other factor that Ganondorf has not been privy to."

Zelda looked at Lyonel in curiosity. "Another factor? What would that be?"

"When Link was born," Lyonel explained, "Myriad gave him a part of her power to use, determined to aide him in one way or another. She wasn't sure what lot he might have had in this life, and she wanted to give him all of the advantages possible if she couldn't be there with him, for him whenever he needed her. The small amount of Light Power he carries definitely gave him an advantage against Ganondorf yesterday, I can guarantee that much."

"But," Zelda asked, looking across at Link's sleeping face, "does he even know he has it?"

"He probably feels it like any other magic, and you've been teaching him how to use it, I'm sure. So whether he knows it or not, it's there being used regardless."

How revealing, Zelda considered, that Myriad had granted Link a portion of her power to use if he needed it. Looking over at Link, she was thoroughly glad for it, otherwise she knew he could be in much worse condition than he was now, saying he would have been alive at all.

It was when she had that thought that she heard her name spoken on a hoarse voice. Link had turned his head slowly when he'd spoken it, some of his hair falling into his face.

She almost knocked the tray of fruit over when the sound hit her pointed ears, sitting forward and catching it before it could fall, placing it on the bedside table as she sat forward, leaning over Link. Lyonel walked around the bed and stood on the other side as he'd heard the sound as well, and Zelda placed her hand against Link's cheek while she stared down at him.

"Link? I'm here."

His eyes were moving behind his lids, and his lips parted with breath, asking her name again weakly. In response, Zelda added, "Link, it's me, open your eyes. You can do it."

His brows had narrowed as if he were hurting in some way, and Zelda bit her lip seeing it, knowing how he would never show pain to others unless it was exceptional, remembering how he'd simply withstood broken bones in the Temple of Water, and even though he wasn't completely conscious yet, she knew the pain must have been bad.

"Lyonel, do you think he needs more of that potion to help with the pain?"

Lyonel sighed out his breath before replying, "I'm not sure." He then watched Link turning his head to the side in his direction with a lowly made groan, so he started to speak to his unconscious son. "Link, open your eyes," his was voice stern, but then grew a bit softer as he added, "son, listen to me. Do as we say."

With a deep breath, Link asked, "Lyonel?," proving that he'd understood the words as well as recognized the voice, and slowly, his blue eyes started opening.

Seeing this, Zelda couldn't help a smile while her eyes closed in the relief that he'd showed that much of a good sign of recovery. Holding his hand, she thread her fingers gently through his while Lyonel replied, "Yes, it's good to see you awake again."

Link looked up at the royal guard's hooded face, listening to the words he'd spoken, and that's when he felt his fingers squeezed by Zelda. It made him slowly turn his face to look in her direction, and seeing her there, he breathed out in relief, his fingers closing around hers though he didn't yet have the strength to squeeze them.

"You're a," he took slow, deep breath as he spoke to Zelda, "nice sight to wake up to."

The words made her smile and reply, "And it's good you woke up."

"How long was I asleep?"

"Ever since you arrived at midday," she informed him, "and since early morning as well according to what Jada said." Still holding his hand after she explained that, she asked, "Are you hurting? The shaman had given you something for pain, but it could have worn off."

Link slowly nodded his head, telling Zelda, "I can taste it still," then his eyes drifted shut again, and he went on, "I don't..."

"Link," Lyonel interrupted, "if you're in pain, there's no shame in admitting it to us."

Link had felt a little hesitant about saying that he was hurting again, but the truth of the matter was that he didn't even feel as if he'd been pulled out of those barbs just yet aside from the soft bed on which he laid. Every spot on his body that had been pierced still felt as if there was a sharp object sticking into it, and he finally nodded slowly. "I could use something if you have it. Where am I anyway? With the revolt near River Town?"

"Yes," Zelda replied, watching Lyonel turn to go find the shaman, telling them that he would bring the man back once he'd been located, and as the door opened and shut with Zelda's thanks, her attention was pulled back to Link when he put his hand on her arm.

With her free hand, she reached for it and looked down into his dull blue eyes, able to see that he wanted to tell her something. His breathing was slightly labored, but she waited patiently before finally asking him, "What is it?"

"I kept dreaming," he started, "that you were right there, just standing there. All night long last night, I kept seeing that. I just...wanted to touch you finally where I couldn't last night."

"Link," Zelda whispered out as a tear rolled down her cheek, "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have sent you off alone."

"No," she heard him replying, his eyes drifting shut and then open again, "you had to. This isn't your fault."

Zelda sniffled and reached up, placing her hand on his head. When she did, she felt that the fever had abated a bit, though he was still a little warm, and she pulled her hand back and told him, "Maybe not, but I'm still sorry this happened to you."

Link slowly shook his head, and he told her, "Don't be. I don't want sorrow on your face. I want to see you smiling, because I don't like it when you're upset. It makes me mad."

The words, spoken somewhat humorously though in an honest fashion, did in fact have the Princess smiling at him. Seeing it, he let his eyes close, and rested back against the pillows telling her, "That's better."

"Oh Link," she drew out as if to chastize him, "I'm supposed to be comforting you now, not the other way around."

"Keep smiling then. I'll be better in no time."

It was with those words that she felt her emotions for him almost overflowing, and with a deep, shaky breath, she leaned in and gently pressed her lips against his cheek, afraid to try to hug him though because she knew he wasn't feeling too well, and with the numerous wounds on his body, she didn't want to agitate them. So she kissed his cheek, held his hand, and gently rubbed her nose against his temple affectionately.

She felt him leaning the side of his face into her touch, and as he did, she whispered, "I don't think our agreement to treat each other platonically throughout the remainder of this mess is going to work. I love you far too much to stop thinking about it."

"I love you more," he smirked slightly, adding, "and I can agree."

Link had lowered his arm and let a grunted sound as it bent, turning his face away from hers to try to hide how much it hurt just to do that. Zelda reached out for his cheek and slowly turned his face back to hers. When she did, she shook her head and whispered, "Don't be ashamed of it with me. I know how strong you are. I want to know how it feels so I can help you."

The pain had gotten worse the longer the potion wore off, and Link had begun to breath heavily, wanting to resist still, but eventually, he gave in and told her, "It feels like I'm still in those barbs." He hated sounding as weak as he had, and he tensed against the discomfort. The way he'd spoken the words made Zelda's heart break almost, reaching for the pillows to fluff behind his head, gently lifting it so that he was settled on them better, trying to think of anything she could have done for him to make him more comfortable in that moment until the shaman arrived.

She was about to attempt using some of her healing magic on him despite what she'd been told, when the door opened, and looking back, seeing Lyonel with the shaman, she sighed out her relief and told them both, "You got here just in time. He's really starting to hurt more now."

The shaman somehow seemed to have expected that, telling her, "I was just on my way from having a bite to eat when Lyonel came to get me. I figured he could use another dosage. Though I have to admit, I'm surprised he's already awake at all."

"Who could sleep through this?," Link grumbled out, followed by adding, "Try giving me a double of it this time." He'd spoken those words sarcastically, even if he did feel like they should have been legitimate.

"I could, but only if you don't want to awaken again," replied the old man with a chuckle, pouring a precise amount of the green liquid into a measuring cup he'd pulled from a pouch around his belt and the vestment he wore, reaching down to hand the cup to Zelda since she was seated next to him.

Zelda turned and she lifted the cup to Link's lips, helping him to swallow the, what Link considered, vile tasting sweetness of a painkiller by lifting the back of his head forward. Taking the whole thing down, Link breathed in heavily after he'd swallowed it, resting back against the pillows again.

Zelda watched him after she handed the measuring cup back to the shaman, watching the area become more illuminated in the light of three lit candles on a candelabra the shaman brought over, sitting the item down on the bedside table so that he could see better. Once he'd done as much, and pulled up another chair in the room, he lifted Link's right arm, and took a pair of sheers to the bandage on it, wanting to inspect the wounds again.

Link jerked when he started pulling the white clothe away from the wound there, and he took several breaths before asking, "Can you wait until the potion kicks in?"

"Hmm," the shaman thought, "I didn't think they would be causing you that much pain. Perhaps that poison is still in your system and will take a little while longer to wear off. I think that's the real source of the infection and tenderness to be honest."

"Poison?" He asked between breaths. Thinking about it, he remembered how his blood had begun to feel as if it were set on fire inside of his body, and he looked down at the wound on his arm, three holes next to one another, not as large as he knew for a fact some of them were, but still big enough to need to be wrapped. "They were poisoned?"

"Yes, according to Arden," Zelda informed him.

"Arden?"

Despite his raised voice, it still hadn't been that loud, only the tone was any different, showing off his confusion, and Zelda shushed him, "Just rest, Link, I'll tell you everything later."

Link supposed he didn't really have a choice. He looked a little annoyed about it too, but he also knew that he needed to conserve his strength. Still, what Arden had to do with this he had no idea. But then he couldn't think at all when the shaman put a clothe soaked in a concotion used to cleanse wounds with on his arm, more of the same steam rising that had done so when Impa had used potion on him after first retrieving him from the bed of barbs.

He let a sharp yell and Zelda, knowing this needed to be done, rubbed his hair back while clenching his opposing hand for him, and whispered against his ear, "Don't worry, that potion will being going to work soon." Her voice was a soothing murmur, and Link somehow actually found it to be helpful, wanting her to keep talking. She did so without knowing it was what he was hoping for. She told him he would be alright, and when the shaman said he had to change the other bandages, meaning on the lower half of his body, as well as on his chest, Lyonel stayed with him. Link would have asked Zelda to, but he knew for certain, even with the potion in him, and with the way his arm had hurt to be cleaned, his leg and chest were going to be much worse because of the size of the wounds, and he was right.

Zelda could still hear him trying not to make much sound from the hallway, closing her eyes over it, and in those moments, she promised herself she would find a way to make Ganondorf pay for doing this to him. Link was right, this wasn't her fault, and had she gone with him, things would have definitely been much worse off. She also considered that, if what Jada had said was true about Link and Ganondorf coming to a draw before Ganondorf took advantage of Link's unconscious state, then the Evil King had to have sustained some of his own injuries as well. Regardless of how severe they had been, she hoped they hurt just as bad as Link's did.

She slept in the same room with him that night. She knew if she returned to her own quarters that all she would be able to do would be worry over him anyway. Lyonel also stayed close by. Having to watch his son going through so much hurt wasn't easy on him, especially knowing that Link was his son and had no clue his father was right there with him.

Soon, Lyonel promised, very soon now, Link would know everything. He couldn't keep up the pretense, and he also knew that Myriad was anxious for Link to know, but she would never say anything because of the situation, fearing Link would be angry and believe that she'd abandoned him.

So Lyonel would speak for her.


	47. Legacy

_Chapter 46 - Legacy_

_Two Weeks Later_

Reports came to the revolt over happenings about the kingdom. As it happened to be, the fields of Hyrule had apparently been turned into that of a graveyard. Horrible creatures were seen commonly now, making most of the open area dangerous to travelers, and over the two weeks that had passed, the numbers of people seeking refuge from their own King had doubled. Zelda herself was slipping more and more into the mind set it took to be the Princess of Hyrule because of this, but what's more, she had learned she was a beacon of hope as well.

It was somehow ironic to her that so many looked up to her to keep things going, and that the one she really considered their hope was actually Link. They looked up to her, and she looked up to him, though she also knew she did have her own strengths to draw from as well. But without Link, she knew things would be so much more difficult, and even if he had been in bed recovering for the past two weeks, she still felt that somehow, just knowing he was there made it easier.

She was with several people now, some of which were using maps of Hyrule to show her areas that had yet to be touched that they knew of, and search for means of safe travel if they had to abandon their safe haven within the canyons and cliffs. While she'd looked over the maps with them, pointing out possibilities, she'd looked up toward the stairs in thought over all of this, especially Link, wondering if he were continuing to feel better as he'd been claiming he was over the last week or so.

Link sat on the edge of the bed in his room. Two weeks had past since the night he'd been injured, and he was now sitting down after another brief walk. Thankfully, he'd begun to feel like himself again, and while the wounds on his body were closing fairly well, he still got a little pain from them from time to time.

His clothing, what was salvageable of it, had been fixed by Bessa and returned to him, and he was currently fitting his white tunic on, deciding that he wanted to do a little more now than just a walk around the room or down the hallway and back when no one else was around. So he was going to do so, and was getting himself properly attired for it considering the place he was currently at. It wouldn't have been all that great to walk around a bunch of strangers shirtless with bandages covering parts of him after all.

Reaching down, he worked his boots onto his feet and then felt slightly winded from the task, but it was better than getting dizzy just from trying to sit up. Placing a hand on his knee, he pushed himself up from the bed and moved over to the chair in the room where the rest of his things lay. The Master Sword had been sitting in the same corner since he'd arrived there. Knowing it was still too soon to try to don the item considering the straps he had to wear in order to keep it in place, he just ran his fingers across the hilt, making a promise to himself that within another week, he would be back to the strength of using it again one way or another.

From there, he grabbed his green jerkin and put it on, followed by his hat, and then gently secured his belt around his waist. He wanted to get back to some kind of normal feel, and decided that if he was going to, he'd have to dress as he normally would, taking up his gauntlets before he looked at his right hand, the one that had been impaled completely through the palm.

Deciding the gauntlets could wait a while, he put them back onto the chair and then looked at himself in the mirror hanging on the wall. Moving over to it, favoring his left leg in the process just to keep his right leg feeling better for longer since it was the one where he had the biggest wound of all almost directly in the center of the front of his thigh, he fixed his hat in order to keep it settled right and make his hair lay properly, when he heard a knock at the door.

Looking over, he said, "Come in," and waited to see who the portal might reveal. As the door opened, Lyonel stepped into the room, and Link smiled. "Good afternoon, Lyonel."

Lyonel seemed fairly surprised to see Link not only out of bed but also fully dressed again, shutting the door behind himself while he looked Link over, nodding his head, "You look strong enough to pull the horns off of an Ox. Though, looks can be deceiving. How are you feeling?"

"Stir crazy," Link told him, "bored to tears. You know, just generally fed up with this room."

Lyonel smiled, having been there a few times himself in his life, and he nodded. "Are you sure you're up for working your way around on your own?"

"Well I'm not letting someone push me in a wheelchair if that's what you mean."

"Of course not," Lyonel nodded, though the smile he gave was somewhat short lived. His mood was a bit more serious than usual because he knew it was time to tell Link the truth that he'd promised he would give him once he was strong enough to hear it. Link was definitely strong enough to hear it now, and he asked Link, "Do you suppose you could stick around for just a little while longer so that we could talk before you go for your walk?"

Nodding, Link didn't seem to be upset by the request at all, turning to walk over to the bed so he could sit on it, though he did so slowly. Lyonel allowed him to do it on his own to give his independence and pride back to him, and then he walked toward the chair near the bed, but he did not sit in it. Instead, he just leaned against the back of it and became quiet for a moment while he thought, and the silence prompted Link to ask him, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Lyonel was unable to help being silent as he'd become. After all, it wasn't an easy undertaking, and no matter how many times he'd envisioned the conversation he was about to have taking place in his head, he knew he still wasn't exactly sure what to say completely. After all, what did you tell your own son after he'd already known you for so long?

But Lyonel finally nodded, saying to Link, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about your parents. I don't think I've been exactly honest about them, and that you've been a bit mislead."

The words told Link the depth of the subject the former Royal Guard wanted to speak of now, and so he prepared himself for it the best he could, nodding his head. "Well, considering I thought they were dead," he started, "is it about that? Or was there something else you needed to speak of?"

"Actually, you hit the nail on the head, Link," Lyonel replied. "I know it was made to sound as if they were dead, but it was all for good reason. You see, there's a hidden truth to your birth, and your parents, your true parents, could never claim you officially."

That, of course, didn't make much sense to Link, but he tried to keep the fact in his mind before he shook his head and asked, "Why? Didn't they want to?"

Lyonel turned his eyes to Link, his brows narrowed together over his sky blue eyes, his look serious as he nodded, telling him, "Very much so. But," he drew out his breath, and Link got a little more anxious, though something started to click with him as he stared at the seasoned Hylian, and slowly he started to stand up as if he might've already known what the man was going to tell him.

With the movement, Lyonel finally finished, "With Dragmire about, with his need to use Myriad's power for his own whims," he paused, slightly turning his head to the side before completing his statements, "we could let no one know we were to have a child. Dragmire would have used you against Myriad just as easily as he stole Zelda from her own parents."

Link felt completely floored. His mind went numb for a moment, trying to process what Lyonel had just told him, and seeing the look on Link's face, Lyonel shut his eyes against the emotions welling up in him, not wanting to see anger from his son over his lies, even if they'd been a necessity.

"I'm sorry, Link, that I couldn't tell you. I wanted to, very badly, but if I did, I knew that–"

He stopped when he felt Link hugging him, his eyes having been closed, so he hadn't detected the movement until Link had performed it. Opening his eyes, he looked down, seeing the top of his son's head just beneath his chin.

Link had been helpless to stop himself. The terms had started setting into his head, and as he thought the word 'Father' over and over again, he found himself moving in to hug the man he'd never thought he'd get a chance to know. This was his father, his real father, not dead, not discarding him, but telling him the truth because he wanted his son to know it.

Because he wanted his son.

"Don't apologize," he told Lyonel, his voice a bit shaky sounding, "I don't care about anything that you had to do. All I cared about was finding out where I came from, and knowing whether or not I was actually wanted. All I care about is knowing the truth finally."

Lyonel's eyes had shut again, and he returned the hug to his son in return when he heard the words, putting his arms around Link in a manner that he knew wouldn't jar his healing wounds into aching, telling him, "You were wanted very badly, Link, and it's been the most difficult thing for me to keep this from you. I'm proud of you, you've grown up so well, and I couldn't have asked for a better man to call my son. I'm just sorry I couldn't be there with you for all of this time. I'm sorry that so much had to come between that I couldn't stop."

The two of them had shed tears of both sadness and of joy, and Link opened his eyes and looked up at Lyonel, saying, "It wasn't your fault. I...,"and then he stopped when something hit his mind like a ton of bricks. Myriad. Stepping back, he looked down with those thoughts in his head and he told Lyonel, "Myriad, I mean...she's..."

"Link," Lyonel stopped him, "don't worry for her. She's in the safest place she could ever be right now, and you're doing all you can to help her already. This was the biggest reason I didn't tell you. I didn't want you worried about her, you needed a clear head in order to keep going."

Slowly, Link looked back up at Lyonel, his expression confounded though he did look angry as well. "I know we're doing everything we can to finally free her, but," he took a deep breath, trying to calm his ire over the thought that he just hadn't known all along alone, much less that his mother was having to endure so much on the count of wickedness plaguing the kingdom now as it were, and he finally finished, "now that I know the truth, I want to speak with her again."

"There is a stone here," Lyonel said, though he seemed reluctant to tell the young man about it. "Though it may cause her grief to know that you're aware of her being your mother when she cannot even see you. Not to mention I believe she's always feared your anger over feeling as if she may have abandoned you for the Kingdom of Hyrule."

Link reached up to rub his eyes and take a breath. He could see where this all would have been a worry, especially to a parent who'd legitimately loved their child but had no way of keeping them safely. Then he slowly shook his head, "I can't not say a word to her. Trust me," he stopped, looking back up as he called him, "Father. I know what to say to her to her to waylay her fears."

Lyonel's solemn eyes looked his son's face over, seriousness and vigilance there in Link's expression, and slowly, Lyonel nodded, his lips parting with an exhale of breath. "Then follow me, and I'll lead you there."

---

The Myriad Stone was sat in a grotto along with a large table at which members of the revolt had sat and conversed over the existing issues in Hyrule, along with the Princess in recent weeks. Walking into the room behind his father, Link stared at the glowing stone, wondering how it could be that though he'd seen so many of them now, it was almost as if they'd taken on a completely new definition, and he couldn't really explain that. He moved toward it after he'd had the thought. Reaching out, letting his hand and fingers encompass the white stone, he made contact with it, and the room darkened around him and Lyonel.

"Link," came Myriad's voice with a pleasantly surprised and even relieved tone, "you have no idea how pleased I am to finally hear from you again. How is your recovery fairing? Well I'd estimate if you've made it to the Stone."

"I'm doing much better, yes," Link told her, pausing before he added, "thank you, Mother."

Everything got quiet for a moment. When it did, Lyonel moved in behind Link and placed a hand on his shoulder, saying to Myriad, "I had to tell him the truth, Myriad. He deserved to know as much finally."

Link took in a breath in order to keep his own emotions contained as his father spoke, and then he stepped down onto his left knee slowly with a grunt of adjustment since he was still sore, moving so that his face was just before the stone he touched now. Lyonel watched him, wondering what his son might tell his newly found mother. In his curiosity, he remained silent to allow their child to speak his mind, feeling another tear working its way to his cheek to see Link now using the only means of communication he had with a mother he'd never met who loved him endlessly.

Taking a deep breath in order to speak, Link had told Lyonel he knew what to say to waylay his mother's fears, and he made good on his promise of that now. "I know how you're feeling, Mother, being so far away but still able to hear me. I feel that way too, wanting to know you so much more than I do. I've already told Father that I don't care for what you had to do. You both loved me enough that you did it for my safety, and that means more to me than having kept me and leaving this Kingdom behind to the problems festering within it. I couldn't have found two better parents to have, and I will not stop until all of this is set right, and I_ swear_," he added completely sincerely, clenching his right fist so tightly that bright red started staining the back of his bandage, "by my own blood," he continued, "that I _will_ free you when the time is right, so that we can both know each other."

The words did not fall on deaf ears. Lyonel let his eyes shut as his son spoke the meaningful words to his mother, and his own fists clenched, adding in silent promise that he would help his son accomplish that. Myriad herself was silent for several long moments. Link and Lyonel did not ask for a response either. They just waited for her words, and finally, they received them from her.

"My son," she trailed off for a moment, her words full of sincerity as well as sadness, "you have no idea how long I've waited to hear such things. From the moment I learned I was carrying you, I've wanted nothing more than your safety and happiness, yet somehow I feel as if I've put you in danger as you so fervently feel the need to open the Sacred Realm and retrieve me. Yet I know now what is your destiny, as you are the one chosen to wipe away the evil stain left upon the Kingdom, leaving me helpless to stop you if that is your desire. So I shall continue my duties in aiding you along your way, and will now, more than ever, look forward to returning to Hyrule to meet my son as the man he's become once all is said and done."

Link had closed his eyes, listening to every word she spoke, and while she might have been so far away from him now, he somehow felt now as if she'd always been with him somehow and he'd only just realized it, every single day, watching over him, and he couldn't explain why that was. Deciding that, since she'd been guiding him throughout this journey, she may know the answer, he asked, "Why is it that I feel as if you've been there all along?"

Lyonel himself already knew the answer to that question, but he allowed Myriad to tell Link since she was at a disadvantage where he wasn't. Her reply was simple. "When you were born, before I had to let your father hand you into Impa's care, I gave you a gift, a piece of my power, so that if the worse came to worse, you use it to protect yourself. I would have told you as much before, but I knew that using this power would be like second nature to you, and you would become more capable with it over time once you began to study more under the magic arts."

Nodding his head slowly even though Myriad couldn't see it, he informed her, "Zelda has been giving me a few lessons. Now that I know the truth though, somehow I can see it's there, feel it, as if it's just another part of me, but now I can tell the difference with the truth at hand. Does that make any sense?"

"Yes," she told him without hesitation, "it does, especially to me. Continue to wield it, Link. You'll be intrigued by the results. This power is my legacy passed on to you."

"I will," he told her, glad that everything had come about now in full circle thus far, though he wished now more than ever that he could just open the seal she'd been placed under and bring her back to him and Lyonel both. But Lyonel was right, and rushing into this would cause much more of a problem than waiting for the right moment in order to do so. Her legacy, which he had become, would definitely be explored more as she'd suggested to him to do.

With the thought in mind, he finally asked her, "Is there any other advice you want to give me now?"

"Yes," she started as if she'd thought of something right there on the spot, "the advice any Mother would give to her Son who has been injured. Recover. We have time for now, before more should occur. You will need all of the strength you can amass in order to complete the next step in removing our enemy from his place upon the throne on which he unjustly sits. So return to well being first, and then I'll give you further instruction on achieving all of our goals."

Link couldn't help but smile over her advice, replying, "Yes ma'am." Breathing in deeply, he added after a short moment, "I won't disappoint you, and we'll speak again soon while I'm here."

"I'll await it anxiously," she replied in earnest, followed by saying, "I love you very much, Link."

"I love you too, Mother," he told her on reply, knowing he did despite the fact that until very recently, he'd had no clue she was his true mother. He found it difficult, but he finally removed his hand from the stone and pushed himself back up onto his feet with a bit of effort. As the room returned to it's normal lighting, Link turned around to face Lyonel and he finally smiled, saying, "I still have a third reason for defending Hyrule now."

Lyonel remembered what he'd said the night he'd come to Roshala and read the letter given to him from his mother. After finishing his reading, he'd proclaimed, under the belief that his parents were dead, that he'd had a new third reason for taking up his sword, which was to avenge his parent's deaths.

Nodding, Lyonel replied, "That you do, I believe." Then he slowly reached up and placed a hand on Link's shoulder, saying, "You'll do well, as you've done so far. Both of us are already proud of you, no matter what destination this road leads us to. All that's left is to continue on the same way as before, but wiser."

Link somehow just couldn't help smiling as he listened to his father. He wasn't completely sure why, but he just felt good, even though his mother was locked away in the Sacred Realm, to simply know he wasn't alone, and that he had both of them, not just one, and he had both of their support.

He would have responded, but someone caught their attention. Alia and Kiama had found the room they were standing in, and coming to a stop in the doorway, Alia exclaimed, "There you are!"

Kiama smiled at them, adding, "We were looking for you, well, Zelda was looking for Link actually. She was surprised to see that you weren't in your room, and asked us to go find you."

Nodding slowly, Link told them, "Sorry, I had to get out of that room for a little while. Do you know what she wanted?"

Alia nodded, then told him, "To ask you something, but we don't know what. She also said that when we found you, she would be in her quarters with Bessa, because the Lady wanted to do some kind of fitting for her."

"Okay, then, well," he rambled a bit, realizing he was a bit confused, and narrowed his brows, "where are her quarters?"

Smiling at him, the cousins snickered a little bit before Kiama told him, "On the top level, left wing. Maybe you should follow us."

Link wasn't too sure he could keep up with the energetic young women, his right leg having begun to ache again because he'd been standing on it for so long, and seeming to sense Link's slight distress, Lyonel looked over at the girls and told them both, "You go on and tell her he'll be along shortly. I'm trying not to let him go too far too fast."

"Oh, right," Alia nodded as she drew out the words, adding "that's fine! Get some rest first, Link, then go on up to see her. If she'd having a fitting done, she'll probably be there for a while anyway. By the way, you're looking much better if what I heard was right."

Link had sat down in one of the chairs at the table, glad to get the weight off of his leg, and he asked her curiously, "What did you hear?"

"Well, all kinds of things actually. Most of it I didn't believe, but I did think you'd probably be sick looking. I think you look like yourself again. Minus the sword and all," she grinned, then went to go, tapping Kiama's arm to motion for her to come along.

"See you later!," Kiama called with a smile as she followed her cousin out, both making their way off, and as they went, Link leaned forward on the table he was sitting at, letting himself go for a moment with a deep breath that he'd apparently been holding in since the young ladies had been standing there.

Seeing the look, Lyonel leaned against the table next to him, asking, "Do you need to lay down?"

"No," he shook his head, "just sitting here for a few minutes will be okay. If I have to lay down anymore, I'm going to slay every bed in this place just because I'm so tired of them."

Smiling over the words, Lyonel pulled out a chair, sitting down next to him, replying, "Then we'll sit and talk for a few minutes until you feel up to walking again. After all, we have much to discuss."

That sounded like a good idea, Link considered. He had a million and one questions he wanted to ask, and if he were going to have to be stuck taking it easy for a while, then he wanted to talk about every single one of them he could.

He started with the best question he could think of first, giving Lyonel a curiously raised brow, and he asked the man, "Let's start with the basic questions first, where did the name Link come from?"

The thought made Lyonel considerate for a moment before he started, "Well..."


	48. Hidden Agenda

_Chapter 47 - Hidden Agenda_

The talk with his father had gone on for quite a while. He'd found out a good many things, including more over the flute which, as Lyonel put it, was now his. It had been a wedding gift from Myriad, proving that it was her ancestor who'd originally made the flute instead of his. She'd given it to Lyonel as a reminder to him that miracles actually did happen, because Lyonel, having been fairly affected by all of the fighting he'd seen in his lifetime, had slowly began to no longer believe in them.

Lyonel thought, with the premise that Myriad had gifted him with the flute, that having his son back now was definitely a miracle in itself. He didn't want the flute back, and knew that it was a family heirloom anyway, so he told Link to keep and care for it.

Once their talking was done, they both stood and began making their way to Zelda's quarters, and while walking, Link asked Lyonel, "Is it just me, or does it seem like Zelda is kept busy a lot now?"

"She does have a good bit to contend with here," Lyonel replied. "Apparently, Ganondorf's minions have been spreading out, making travel nearly impossible for anyone to accomplish, so they've been looking for easier means of getting to members hiding in other places without being spotted. Fortunately, his dark knights have yet to come in this direction."

Link scoffed slightly over the words as they made it to one of the bridges. It was the first time he'd ever seen the structures connecting the two tall cliff sides, and walking out onto it now, he couldn't help but be just as awed as everyone else was when they first saw it with their own two eyes. Slowly stepping out into the light of day, he squinted a bit and took in the fresh air. Already he felt much better again. Somehow, he felt that getting out and going places, being in the sunlight, was one of the things he'd been missing.

It was a very cold day however, and had in fact been snowing earlier even though the sun was shining now, telling Link he wouldn't be outside for long. Some of the more knowledgeable people when it came to the weather said that more snow was heading their way much later in the evening also, and though what had fallen earlier hadn't really stuck to anything much, rumor was predicting a good bit to stick with the second wave heading through the area.

Coming to a stop with Link near the center of the bridge for a moment in order to let him look at the scenery, Lyonel asked, "Why do you scoff?"

Link had to remember what they were talking about, and then it popped back into his mind, the Jackal Knights having not come that way. Shaking his head, he told Lyonel, "Not that I'm gloating, but I took out about ten of them without much of a problem, that's all."

"I see," Lyonel responded, looking out over the Zora River as a cold wind blew over him, making his cloak billow a bit behind him, his hand resting on his own blade settled against his belt as he considered it for a moment. "The difference is that you wield the Master Sword, Link, which is the bane of evil and darkness. To someone such as myself, I could take down perhaps three of them, but many more than that, and I would be facing a problem."

"I'd considered that," Link told him, "but I'm also going to tell everyone here that they might be fast, and they might be strong, but they're also dumb. It's not hard to get creative when you're fighting them at all. If you can do that, then you can overcome them."

Lyonel smiled over his son's strategy as Link began to cross the bridge once more, turning to follow him. As they walked on, Link continued speaking, "I just wonder how well Zelda's been though. She's always been smart, but this is a new arena for her, I'm guessing. She hasn't told me much, but I suppose that's because she doesn't want me to worry if she's not feeling too well about certain things."

"Well, with as much as she loves you, that's to be expected."

Link had already broached the subject of loving Zelda earlier with his father, and Lyonel told Link that he had his father's blessing if it was a match that was meant to be. Lyonel had no qualms whatsoever with the two of them becoming romantically involved, even during a time such as this, even though she was a Princess and Link was meant to protect and aide her. Instead, he saw it as a promise for the future, that love was indeed not dead, and if he could, he would help to nourish it. He'd already spoken with Impa over the whole affair, and Impa had given the same feelings about the matter. If the two had fallen in love with one another, then there really wasn't anything anyone could do to stop it. Impa had said to let things flow the way they should, because every angle had a purpose.

Lyonel had to listen to Impa. After all, she'd loved Arden even when he'd turned his back on the old kingdom and his friends, because of the same words she'd spoken over Link and Zelda - every angle had a purpose. Having believed the same with Arden, she'd continued to love him, and now they were mending their wounds together. From what Lyonel could tell, those wounds were being fixed very well also.

So when Lyonel gave Link that response, Link wasn't surprised at all. But Link himself was curious over the situation. She'd come to see him and had been the one, aside from Lyonel, to do so the most, but anytime he asked what she'd been up to, she hadn't really elaborated much on the activities. It made Link wonder just what all was going on, and in ways, made him worrying about her, that too much was being put on her shoulders too soon.

But Link pushed the thoughts from his head for now and let Lyonel lead him to a door before stopping and telling him, "These are her quarters."

Nodding, Link reached up and knocked on the door. A moment following the knock, he heard Zelda saying, "Come in, but be ware, there's a huge mess in here."

Link blinked up at Lyonel, and his father shrugged in uncertainty. Deciding they'd find out, Link opened the door and stepped into the room, asking, "What kind of mess?," before he looked up and stopped speaking altogether. He hadn't been prepared for the sight he was going to see, and it had nothing to do with the mess on the floor of materials and sewing tools such as shears and jars filled with different things like buttons laying around Zelda and Bessa.

Zelda looked up and went a little wide eyed, though she stayed in place, standing on a stool with Bessa at her feet, pinning the hem of the gown she wore. The gown was white with a deep pink bodice, pauldrons of gold on each of her shoulders, and she wore long gloves that went all the way up her arms, also white in color with a pink pattern marked across the backs of them.

On her head was a circlet with diamond and sapphire stones inlaid in the leaves the gold was made to mirror. She was still being fitted for the garment, but it was essentially completed except what Bessa was working on now, which was to bring up the bottom of the dress so that Zelda wouldn't trip on it whenever she walked, using pins to get the hem evenly in place for sewing later.

Still, Zelda had completely ignored it, of course, having stared at Link in surprise, exclaiming, "Link! You didn't have to come all the way over here, but," she smiled, "I'm glad you felt good enough to."

What was she saying? He could've sworn she was talking to him, but all he heard was mumbling while he stared at her. Did she really have to be so gorgeous? Done up in her gown this way, she was every bit the princess everyone kept saying she was, and Link suddenly felt as if she might have been miles and miles out of his reach in that moment, completely unworthy of her feelings for him.

But Lyonel slyly hit Link's arm with his elbow gently when he passed him, breaking him out of his stupor. With reality crashing back into his head, Link finally replied to the words he actually had heard, but simply hadn't registered until that moment in time, and he shook his head, saying, "Oh, well, I was told you were looking for me. Kiama and Alia didn't come tell you I was heading here?"

"No," Zelda shook her head in confusion, then she smiled, "Oh, they must have thought it would be a nice surprise for me."

That made a lot of sense to him, but somehow he wasn't completely sure he'd paid enough attention to what she was saying again. "Yeah," Link drew out, trying his best not to stare, but he just knew he was doing a terrible job of it.

Lyonel was trying not to smirk, seeing how his son was reacting to the Princess in proper royal attire that was essentially completed save the hem. He just wondered if Zelda had noticed anything, but instead of sticking around to find out, decided to let them be as he turned and said, "I'll be patrolling if anyone needs me."

Zelda watched the man leave, and Link nodded at him, then he looked down when Bessa stated, "Alright, it's pinned, you can step off of the stool now, my lady."

Link watched as Zelda stepped down and Bessa went to move the material of her gown so she could grab the foot stool Zelda had been standing on, and letting go of the dress so that it would fall around her legs properly, she took a few steps and nodded, telling Bessa, "That's a good length. I don't think I'll step on the skirt now." Looking over at Link she smiled, saying, "Bessa has been making a dress for me that my mother wanted me to have. But she couldn't make it until I was old enough to be fitted for it. What do you think?"

Link had a million things going through his mind in that moment, but didn't feel like he had a means to get any of them out. He was staring blankly, and Bessa, who was standing behind Zelda, just grinned and started gathering her items back up again, getting the feeling Link was just dumbfounded because he thought it was beautiful, giving the older lady a bit of pride in her seamstress skills.

When Link didn't say anything, Zelda walked over to him with a narrowed brow and asked, "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes," he nodded suddenly, "sorry, just," he looked her over, "I really don't know what word to settle on."

The words made Zelda blush, but the smile she had was somehow sad as she said, "I just wish my mother could see it. She even made this circlet for me. Do you remember what Queen Majalyn told us?"

"You mean that Queen Nissandra had one made for you before you were even born?"

Zelda nodded, informing him, "Bessa had this circlet in her possession all of this time."

Bessa, like Lyonel, wanted to leave the room to let the two of them have some time alone together, and on the way to the door, she told Zelda, "I'll be back for the garment shortly, my lady, I need to take these things to be put up. I'll send Jada back for it soon."

"Alright," Zelda nodded while she watched Bessa leave, thanking the seamstress for everything, and once the door shut, she glanced back up at Link again.

Link had drifted off into thought over Zelda's mother, and what he'd heard Ganondorf saying that night two weeks ago. The King and Queen, according to him, were still alive, being held in slumber as leverage over the Princess's head. He wanted so badly to tell her there was still a chance, saying that was, that Ganondorf hadn't been lying completely, and while Link wouldn't put it past the Evil King, he also, somehow, got the feeling that Ganondorf wasn't. The reason was because Link wished Ganondorf had been. If he was lying, then Link wouldn't have to feel guilty now over not telling Zelda the truth and being able to give her the hope he'd rather see on her face now than the sadness.

So the look on Link's face when Zelda had glanced back up at him had been contemplative, and even a little dark. It made her curious, and even a little worried. "What's wrong, Link? Do you need to sit down?"

He shook his head, "Not specifically. I was just wishing your parents could see this too." It wasn't a lie, he did wish they were awake to see it, and he added, "I also feel incredibly guilty."

"Why?," Zelda couldn't help but ask, a curious expression on her face as she stepped in closer to him, reaching to take his hand. When she did, taking his right hand in her left, she noticed the blood staining the bandage he wore. Immediately, she became concerned. "You're bleeding, Link. You really should sit down."

Glancing down at his hand, he shook his head at her, letting her know he hadn't reopened his wounds by moving about too much and not resting. "No, it's alright, I did that on purpose."

The words made Zelda's violet blue eyes move up to his face in confused concern, and seeing the question in her eyes, he explained to her, "I swore a blood oath to return my mother safely from the Sacred Realm when the time was right."

Now, with those words, Zelda finally understood. Lyonel had told him the truth. With a little frown, she lifted his hand and nodded her head as she gently tugged on him, taking him to then bed since it would be more comfortable for him than the chair. Motioning to it while she turned to sit on the chair across from the bed to face him, she said, "Lyonel told me before you arrived when you were hurt that he and Myriad were your parents. Is that why you feel guilty? Because you found your parents and I don't have that chance?"

"Maybe," he drew out, considering the real reason he felt that way. But there was something more, and he added it to change the subject of their parents for now. "I also feel guilty because I love you, and somehow it doesn't seem exactly as if I have the right to."

The words somehow felt like a knife cutting into her, and she looked at herself in the royal outfit she wore now, then back at him, "Because of this?" While asking the question, she motioned to the garments.

Link considered how to word his thoughts as he sat there, stretching his right leg out to keep it from tensing up as it had been, and he finally informed her, "Not precisely. It's because I can see the royalty in you, and I'm hesitant to do anything that might sully it."

She tilted her head at him over the words in consideration. Was he feeling intimidated? Somehow she just couldn't fathom that, but perhaps it was just a sign that his respect for her was absolute, and he didn't want to do anything that would be improper. With the thoughts in mind, she wondered if it meant he really didn't feel as if he could go forth now with how he felt because suddenly things were just a little different, and he was more than likely soon to be reminded on a much more frequent basis that she was, in fact, Princess Zelda.

Considering this, she told him, "It's just a dress," slowly shaking her head. "Don't feel guilty. I want you to feel the way you do. Don't change your mind about it, Link."

"I didn't say I was going to," he smirked, "I just said I felt guilty. There's no way I could change my mind, even if I wanted to. I made a promise, remember?"

She blinked, wondering what promise he was speaking of. As she wondered, she watched as he reached out and took her hands into his, leaning forward slowly. He'd always reserved himself around her, hadn't tried to take too many liberties when it came to touching her, even taking her hands, because of his respect to her even if he'd stolen a few kisses along the way. So the move, while it was far from out of place, was somewhat surprising to Zelda. She didn't speak as he went on though.

"I told you I didn't care if you were Mira or Zelda or anyone else, remember? Just because we were unsure of how we both felt when I told you that doesn't mean it's changed now. Alright?"

A slow smile crept onto her lips, and she nodded her head. "Alright. You just scared me because you sounded so serious when you spoke the words. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"I'm not," he smirked, still leaning there, then thought about that with his leg in the position it was in, snorting in amusement as he added and sat back, "Well, I am, but not because of you. I just felt out of my league seeing you like this. You're," he looked her over again after sitting back, and said the only word he could think of to sum up all of the others, "gorgeous."

The look on her face somehow seemed pained as she stared at him, slightly embarrassed, then she shook her head and stood up, telling him, "I wish you wouldn't say things like that."

"Why not?"

"It makes me like you," she grumbled with a smile before she sat on the bed next to him, looking up at his face with her hand still in his.

"Aw," Link drew out playfully, "you know you like it," he grinned, and without warning, suddenly yawned. As he did, he covered his mouth and then shook his head, rubbing his eyes to clear them.

Seeing the yawn, she told him, "And you know you should go lay back down for a little while."

"No," he shook his head vehemently, "not yet. I'm sick of that room, and I'm not going back for a while if I can help it."

"Fine," Zelda told him, folding her arms over her chest, "then I'll just tell your father."

Link cringed. Now that was something he definitely hadn't heard everyday. Seeing the look on his face made Zelda snicker softly, and it was at that moment that a knock came to the door accompanied by the softly spoken voice, "It's Jada. May I enter?"

Jada had been helping Bessa with her sewing, as she'd also loved the hobby before her abduction by the men who'd traumatized her. With the words, Zelda told her, "Come in, Jada, but you'll need to give me a moment in order to change."

Jada, pushing the door open, stepped into the room quietly, and when she saw that Link was there, she blushed and looked down a bit shyly. Though her shyness didn't stop her from saying, "Hello, Link. How are you feeling?"

Zelda had stood to go behind a changing screen that was placed in her room close to the far wall, and she started getting the clothing she'd been wearing off completely so that she could hand the garment to Jada to be finished by Bessa. While she was doing so, Link pushed himself up from the bed and smiled at Jada, having yet to actually really hear her talking much at all, and it was good to see she was able to now.

"I'm much better," he told her, walking over to stop before her. "Still on the mend, but well."

"That's good," she nodded, her hands folded demurely before her, her face bowing down once she'd spoken as if she couldn't hold his gaze for long, which was true of anyone for the most part except for just a handful of people she knew well. "I was afraid after what happened that you might take a very long time to get well again."

Link watched her, knowing she was still overcoming her own difficulties considering her past experiences, but he honestly wanted to hug her to show his thanks for what she'd done. Impa said she'd stayed hidden the entire night, waiting to try to free him, along with Nissa who Link had already seen and given his thanks to in the previous two weeks. Jada, however, didn't seem to think she'd done much of anything to help at all, and he didn't want her to feel that way.

"Thanks to you, I will," he informed her.

Jada shook her head modestly, "No, Impa and Arden got you down. I couldn't find anything to cut through the vines, so you don't need to thank me."

Link knew that Jada had been traumatized so much that closeness might have made her unsettled, but he did lift his hand and put it on her shoulder, saying, "No, you did a lot. You told me I wasn't alone, I do remember hearing that, and it made me feel relieved to know that I finally wasn't until everything went black again."

The words made her snap her face up toward him in some surprise, and seeing this, Link told her, "I wasn't completely in my right mind, I kept thinking Zelda was there somewhere, but I do remember hearing someone telling me that I wasn't by myself, and touching my cheek. So thank you," he nodded, "very much."

The words actually made her smile a little bit, though that smile was graced with an even bigger blush, glad she had actually done something good for him, but she had to look down again in her shyness, reaching up her hand to cover that smile with her fist. Link decided that he should go ahead and give the shyly modest girl the hug he'd considered, so he stepped over and lightly did so, and Jada looked very surprised about it, but she didn't push him away. As he let go, she found her cheeks still on fire, and whispered out the words, "You're welcome."

Zelda, who'd heard everything, was smiling over it, and she knew Jada was probably mortified, saying, "Jada, could you come take this dress?" She figured that might help ease the girls mind from being thanked properly and embarrassed over it.

"Yes ma'am," she replied quickly and gave Link a tiny, shy smile before she walked past him and went to go get the garment she'd come for originally, leaving Link with a little smirk on his face simply because he thought her shyness was cute in a way. Watching her going behind the changing screen where Zelda was in her slip, she took the dress into her arms, and then turned to go back to the door with it while Zelda put on a different dress to wear for the rest of the day.

Stopping near Link, she looked at the door and then at him, slowly leaning up as if she wanted to ask him something quietly. She looked hesitant about doing so, but whatever it was must have been somehow important to her. When she did, he leaned in to hear her, and she asked, "Do you think it's true? About the king and queen?"

Link glanced at Jada, having not known she'd heard all of the words spoken between himself and Ganondorf, and then over at the changing screen, and he shook his head slowly, saying quietly, "I don't know, Jada, but it could be. But I don't want anyone to know about it just yet."

"I thought as much," she replied just as softly, then added, "I promise I won't tell. But in a way, I hope it is."

He couldn't help but ask her, "Why is that?"

Without pause or hesitation, she looked at him with confidence in her eyes, and told him, "Because it means you can save them."

With those words, Jada looked back down and went to the door finally, then she opened it in order to leave. Watching her do so, Link shut the door behind her, and then he heard Zelda speaking as she stepped out from behind the changing screen in a sky blue colored dress with long sleeves and a floral pattern across the hem of the skirt, buttoning the cuffs around one of her wrists.

"Were you two whispering?"

Her tone was mildly curious, and Link nodded slowly, "We were, but it wasn't important. Just asking me about what I thought of the dress."

With a nod of her head, Zelda put her arms down and folded them across her stomach, idly waving a hand as she said, "I thought I heard her mention the king and queen, that's why I asked."

"Oh," he drew out, adding, "she just said she wanted them to see you in it, that's why she whispered. She probably thought it would upset you," and in his mind, he was kicking himself for continually lying over the situation, feeling terrible about it. But he couldn't tell her, and there was one simple reason for it. He knew that, once she was aware, and if Ganondorf found out she knew, she'd have no choice but to turn herself over to him, and Link couldn't allow that.

Not to mention, and even though he didn't really think she would, she could have gone without anyone's knowledge to try to find them. Link remembered her mentioning recurring dreams of hearing them calling to her from the Palace, and he now knew what the complete meaning of the visions were. If she woke up in the middle of the night having one, it could lead her to make a bad decision, and while he did trust her judgement and knew she was very smart, he didn't want to risk it.

Then again, maybe she wouldn't. Maybe she'd stay behind until the time came, like he was trying to do for his own mother. He just needed a little more time to think about the whole situation and all of the repercussions involved before he told her, and considering the information, he didn't think a little time to consider it was too much to ask. Zelda was understanding, and she wouldn't get angry at him as long as he let her in on what he'd been told soon. Besides, from what Lyonel had told him, she was already dealing with a lot between the people here and what was going on in Hyrule that he'd heard of so far. She didn't need the extra distraction.

Which brought him to another topic he'd been wanting to discuss with her, and that was her adaptation to the people they were currently residing with, the fact that they all knew she was the Princess, and even treated her as such. He wanted to make sure she was getting along well.

With that thought in mind, he asked her as he moved back to the bed and sat again, "So, what's been going on anyway? I keep hearing about the fields being dangerous for travelers now."

Zelda nodded slowly at the change of subject, though she had wondered if Link was telling the complete truth or not. She'd heard a little bit more than she'd admitted, but he'd said it was nothing. Turning to sit down next to him again, she decided not to question him over it for now since it may have just been her imagination making her guess at things, and just informed him instead, "Yes, the fields have been overrun with monsters and Jackal Knights, among other things, and from what we've learned, all of the villages that haven't been destroyed have been deserted by the people who lived there trying to save themselves. I didn't want to tell you everything before because I was fearing you'd feel helpless somehow."

That made sense, and Link could tell why she would have felt that way. After all, it was incredibly frustrating to hear all of this and not be able to do much of anything about it while it continued to go on because he was recovering from not so run of the mill injuries. Before he could reply to the matter however, and ask her how she was doing herself, another knock came to the door, and Link was a little unused to the words that were spoken.

"Your majesty, are you free?"

Zelda recognized Dorrel's voice, and she looked at Link and said, "Oh, give me a moment, I forgot I needed to consult Dorrel about something." She stood up, then went to the door and opened it while Link watched.

She stood there for several moments, speaking in quiet with the man. It was pretty curious to Link what they could have been discussing, and as he listened, or tried to, he picked up words such as 'problem' and then the line 'we'll have to be careful not to let him find out too much'.

Were they talking about _him_? Link stared at the door with his suspicions raising as he continued to try to discern lines they were speaking, something about doing whatever they were talking about later, and this went on until Zelda came back into the room and shut the door behind her. With a sigh, she told Link, "I'm sorry."

"What was that about?" He asked her.

"Oh," she looked back and then waved her hand dismissively, "Dorrel telling me he wanted to show me another path he thought he'd found to safely get through the fields to yet another hideaway the revolt has been using to gather in. It leads somewhere near the Kokiri Forest."

The way she was acting so nonchalant about it made him even more curious, and as she walked back toward him, he slowly shook his head, "There's something else, isn't there. You're not hiding more because you don't think I can handle it, do you?"

Zelda was a bit surprised by the words and she lifted a brow and shook her head, "No, not at all. I'm just going to go talk to Dorrel about it shortly, that's all."

"I'll come with you then."

"No," she spit out quickly, and when he gave her an odd look, she cleared her throat and shook her head, "that won't be necessary. You'd be bored to tears with how Dorrel talks on and on."

Link gave her a look that said he was onto her game, and watched as she folded her fingers into her skirts without realizing it. The sign was telling, so he went a little further. "I just spent two weeks in one room. I think I might find anyone's rambling to be riveting right now."

Why was he being so pushy, Zelda wondered to herself. After all, this was the only thing she absolutely could not let him in on. She'd been trying to plan a surprise birthday party for him, and that was the reason Dorrel had come to see her just then, because he wanted to ask her about the type of cake since a lady who cooked in River Town was wanting to know the flavor. Finally, after a moment of hesitation, she shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, but I can't let you."

_Something_ was going on, Link thought to himself, and he slowly pushed himself up from where he sat and waved a hand, asking simply, "Why not?"

"Because," Zelda started, then she sighed out, "because it's a very delicate matter that needs to be handled properly."

"And it has to do with what we've been trying to accomplish all along, right?"

"Not precisely," she shook her head, "just indirectly." The last part was a lie, but she knew she couldn't tell him and ruin the surprise. What else could she say though? Was he so bored he had to keep pushing now?

Link took in a deep breath, their conversation coming to a stand still for a moment as they watched one another. Neither wanted to make a move and potentially ruin their chances, until finally Zelda just threw her hands up in vexation and asked, "Why are you being so suspicious all of the sudden?"

Link looked a bit incredulous, and then he pointed at the door, "I heard something about me bring a problem and that I should be kept out of it. Why wouldn't I be? Besides, all of a sudden people are calling you 'Your Majesty' and you're wearing crowns and I've been laid up in a room for two weeks without knowing how you've been dealing with it all because you keep running off to have consultations about strategies and defenses."

Zelda sighed out her breath slowly, shaking her head at him, "Link, it's fine, really. Don't be suspicious, there is absolutely _nothing_ going on that needs you to worry over it."

"I'm not worried about that, I'm worried about you," he replied, and though his voice had risen a bit, he hadn't sounded angry at all. "You haven't told me how this is affecting you, and I would like to know."

Zelda stared at him. She hadn't considered it honestly, because she'd been so worried over his own recovery, that he was also worried for her welfare in return. Now that he mentioned it the way he had, she looked down in thought about the matter, and she turned to sit on the bed where he was just a moment before. Seeing this, Link moved in to sit down beside of her, and he waited for her to speak to him about it all.

"Honestly, it's so hard for me to get used to. I'm sorry I didn't say anything, I just didn't think it was a big enough matter to bring up considering what you'd been through, but you're right, I do need to talk about it." Shaking her head, she looked over at him and told him, "I'm really just worried about all of the people that can't defend themselves, who are supposed to be _my_ people, and constantly wondering if I'm actually helping at all. Lyonel and Impa say I'm doing perfectly fine, but sometimes I'm just not so sure. Then, I have to reassure the people who are here out of hiding for their own safety, even when I myself feel completely down, and no one's really there to lift my spirits. I realize how bad that sounds as well, and I think that's why I continually question myself."

Finally they were getting somewhere, Link thought, and he put his hand on her shoulder, telling her, "Let me come to the meeting with you then. I'm a familiar face, after all. You always said I had a way of cheering you up when it seemed like no one else could."

Not again, she thought, and even though he was right with his words, she'd remembered her own suspicions about what he'd spoken to Jada over earlier. In an attempt to keep him from finding out about his surprise, she decided to bring that topic up, and she looked over at him before she spoke.

"Link, that's not really a meeting, Dorrel is just going to show me something. I can easily relay it to you later. Besides, I get the feeling there's something you're hiding too. Something you haven't told me about."

She'd completely turned the tables on him, and he'd been unprepared for it. Link narrowed his brows as if he wasn't sure what she was talking about, even though he knew exactly well what she'd meant, and he asked her, "Why do you think that?"

"Well, when you spoke with Jada, I also heard the words I promise not to tell but I hope so because you can save them. But you said you were talking about the dress. So what did she really say?"

Link's brows narrowed. As soon as she asked him for the truth again, his mind started going over those same questions once more. Was it really that important of a secret to keep? Would she run off to try to save her parents, or would she stick around? He still needed time, even though he trusted her, because he still hadn't found some solid proof that if he told her, she wouldn't think the best option would be turning herself over to Ganondorf, maybe even going so far as to make some kind of deal with him that if he let her parents go free, she would become his prisoner, because she would consider that her mother and father might be better equipped to deal with the position she was currently in than she was due to their experience.

_You will survive to bring to me that which I need to conquer the realms of this world and beyond it. And I will be waiting for you to fulfill that destiny for me, Hero of Legend_

The thought made his face turn as stern as it could get. He couldn't tell her right now, he wasn't ready to yet, and he told her on a slightly clipped voice, "I don't want to talk about it."

He stood up and turned around to go to the door to prevent her from asking more questions. Zelda didn't let him get far though, standing and moving to take his wrist. "Link, don't go. Just tell me what you were talking about. Was it my parents? Did it have to do with them?"

"No," Link said, the word dropping into the room like a stone as if to stop all others as he reached for the door and looked back at her, the anger on his face directed solely at himself and at Ganondorf, though it may have not looked like it to her, "I'm going to go back to my room now to rest."

He couldn't stand the look on her face, so completely confused, worried, and even upset, but he knew it was the cause of it, so he really didn't want to have to stay there and see it. Gently, he tugged his wrist from her hand and turned, saying softly, "I'm sorry," before he walked through the door and shut it quietly.

Zelda was completely confounded as the door shut with the words of apology. But his reaction had been telling as well. She knew for a fact now that it had to do with her parents, and she wondered, knowing that Jada had overheard the words spoken between Link and Ganondorf, if what the girl had been speaking to Link about in private was over some kind of information Ganondorf had given Link which he now just didn't want to tell to her.

Whatever it was had definitely been enough to apparently send Link back to the one place he'd professed to not wish to go to, and she looked down in careful thought over the situation. What could the Evil King have said? The dreams she'd been having came into her mind, and now she was starting to believe that her mother and father were actually there, in the Palace, and her dreams were trying to say they needed her help.

The thought was a completely overwhelming one, and instead of chasing Link down like she'd really wanted to, she had to sit alone for a few minutes. She couldn't jump to conclusions without some solid proof backing her theory first, and the only people there who knew were Link, Jada, and Nissa. But Zelda couldn't put them through an inquisition if Link, the one who should have been the person to tell her, didn't want to talk to her about it.

It actually made her mad. With narrowed brows, she did what she'd threatened to do earlier and stood up, went to her door, and walked out into the hallway in order to find Link's father.


	49. Surprise

_Chapter 48 - Surprise_

The next two days, while not notably eventful, kept everyone busy enough in different manners. For Olnor, Betarro, and Dorrel, they were doing their best with not only gathering together equipment to use, delegating scouts and watchmen, but also keeping the training grounds, which was located in a canyon near the grotto's the revolt had been living in, clear of snow so that training could continue regularly.

They also had to manage the task - with Cody's help - of insulating several of the rooms to keep them from getting so cold in the winter weather. They wanted to do Zelda's first because of who and what she was, but she demanded the attention go to the elderly first, or the very young, and wouldn't allow them to spend their time on her. As for Cody, he'd met Link again in the mess hall the day after Link and Zelda had their slight argument, and both of them were grumbling about women when Cody sat down to eat with the Hylian.

Apparently Alia had gotten mad at Cody for being so pessimistic again, and neither of them could figure out exactly why women did that. Somehow, they began to find an odd friendship over the conversation, though neither had specifically disliked the other before at all. After meeting under the circumstances they had, it had just taken time for the two of them to realize they actually had a lot in common, except for personality. They just seemed to somehow be stuck in the same situation with their prospective girls.

Though Link somehow felt as if he were the guilty party in his own dealings with Zelda, but as time passed, and she kept skirting her way around him, hiding things, he almost felt justified for not telling her the truth, though only in spite. So the days for Link had been kept busy trying to get himself back to his former ability, and for the first time since he'd been injured, he'd picked up the Master Sword again and tested his mobility with it and his shield.

Thankfully he hadn't gotten too winded at all, and since Zelda didn't seem to want him hanging around her too much, he used the rest of his time to go talk to his mother about certain issues, such as the events in Hyrule Field, and to get advice on whether or not he should let Zelda know that her parents were still alive at all. When it came down to it, somehow Link knew that, safety aside, the truth would hurt her, and he just didn't want to see that hurt on her face.

Myriad had advised him to do what he thought would be right, but to remember in doing so that Zelda wasn't brash, and she would make the wisest decision even if she wanted firsthand to go to them in order to have them freed. So Link decided that he would have to tell her, but the timing would need to be good. That was, whenever he could catch her not skirting her way off as if she were hiding everything in the book.

He almost wanted to tail her just to see where she'd go, what she'd do, but he wasn't going to be as rude as to eavesdrop and spy, getting the feeling that whatever she was hiding from him would eventually come out in the wash. After all, she didn't completely ignore him, she just came up with very strange excuses to explain everything away.

Zelda herself hadn't been oblivious to Link's curiosities. She wished she'd never told him the secret had anything, even indirectly, to do with what they'd been trying to accomplish. She should have told him that, perhaps, it was about making room for the horses in the stables, or the insulation of the rooms, which would have kept him busy trying to help out, but she'd been searching for an excuse so quickly on the spot that she'd spit out the first thing that came to mind. Considering she wasn't an adept liar, she figured she could have done much worse and somehow given him notice that he was going to be having a surprise party later on that evening.

It wasn't his birthday specifically that day, but instead tomorrow. Alia, however, suggested having the party a night early so that Link wouldn't miss out in his ignorance to the exact day that he'd been born on, and could still know and enjoy it that way. Zelda had agreed with the idea, and decided to get things ready as soon as possible.

For most of the day, she'd been helping Alia, Kiama, Nissa, and Bessa to decorate the assembly room with streamers and other items. It was the biggest room the outpost hosted, and was definitely the best choice to throw the party in. Lana was sitting there with Jada who had been wrapping gifts while the old woman was trying to blindly direct traffic, and the girls all pretended to listen to her and then do things their own way. When the end result still met with Lana's approval, they tried not to snicker, but the whole time couldn't help thinking it was funny.

Cody hadn't been informed of Link's party until that afternoon when he was made to stand watch and distract Link if he came walking by. He'd asked Alia what he was supposed to do, and Alia sarcastically told him to steal Link's shield with the memory of what he'd done to meet the Hylian to begin with by stealing his horses. When Cody asked, just as sarcastically, what if Link didn't have it, Alia replied sharply 'then steal his hat!', and rolled her eyes.

Cody grumbled while he stood at the door, stopping one of the revolt members, the one named Tenio, when the Hylian passed him. Tenio was a tall, slender Hylian with a slightly muscular build and long silver hair pulled into a ponytail, his eyes nearly matching his hair's color. He was an excellent archer and very good at stealth, almost as good as Impa was, which made him a perfect candidate for watching to keep his younger fellow Hylian Link out of the picture until things could be ready for the party to be thrown.

Tenio told Cody he was too busy and couldn't help however, and that's when a large shadow engulfed the young sailor. Turning to look up, Cody blinked at the intimidating visage of Arden, who just grinned down at him when he saw the fear in the young man's eyes through his shadow sight, then offered to help him keep out a watch.

Impa had walked past to go help the girls with the decorations, which was the reason Arden was there now, and with his offer of help, Cody stammered out several things, finally settling on the word 'okay' before he scooted into a corner near the door as tightly as he could. After all, Arden didn't look very friendly, and Cody didn't want to make him mad as he seemed to do to everyone lately.

While Cody hid from the burly soldier outside of the room, Zelda somehow felt she couldn't fully concentrate on everything. A celebration after all, wasn't something she should be partaking in when so much else was going on around them. She'd already brought up as much to Lyonel and Impa, but they'd given her the same answer she'd already considered, which was they really had nothing more they could do until Link was back in good shape again. Things were as secure as they were going to get, and what they could do for now had already been done.

Link deserved it as well, even if he had slighted her a bit by keeping a secret about her parents. Well, it still wasn't confirmed yet, but Zelda had gone to see Lyonel about it like she'd planned to when she left her quarters after she and Link had their little argument, and Lyonel hadn't told her anything concrete. He'd said the same that Impa had told her, Hadinaru and Nissandra were victims of Dragmire's magic the night they confronted the evil wizard, and many had witnessed their bodies as proof of the murder. Lyonel told Zelda something that Impa hadn't however, which was that he'd checked the King with his own hands, then the Queen, and he had not found any type of heartbeat.

So whatever Link was hiding might not have had to do with her parents still being alive, but there _was_ something he was hiding. Even still, there was no way she could go to him and demand it because she knew all too well that he was under suspicion that she was keeping important things from him as well, and she didn't want to ruin his surprise. It was one huge mess, and Zelda couldn't understand how practiced liars could keep up with their stories all of the time on a day to day basis. It really was completely frustrating.

Late afternoon began to roll around when Cody spotted Link coming down the hallway and he panicked. Arden, standing next to him, just leaned against the door, and gave Cody a raised brow. Before Link was within earshot, Arden told the young sailor, "Whatever you do, kid, don't get into stealth."

"Heh," Cody cleared his throat, "I'll just go tell the girls so they'll know to stay quiet."

"You do that," Arden drew out blandly, watching Link heading on toward him as Cody ran into the assembly hall. Once Link was close enough, Arden said, "I see you're getting about without a problem now."

Link, heading toward the man now, had found their situation to be a strange one. He hadn't spoken to Arden much at all, only once or twice since he'd been about, always finding it hard to figure out what to say to him. He wasn't trying to ignore the guy, and he didn't feel bad about talking to him because they used to be enemies, he just was never sure how to start a conversation with him.

With the comment he'd just given though, Link decided that maybe the chance had just presented itself, and he stopped about five feet away from the man and replied, "I feel a good bit better. It's slow but sure. So what are you doing out here?"

"Waiting on Impa," Arden replied, nodding to the Assembly Hall behind himself, "She's in with the women hanging around here talking. I didn't want it to cramp my style."

Link nodded slowly, somehow able to see the reason why him hanging around several chatty women would have cramped Arden's style in particular. Unsure what else to say to the big man over it though, all he could think to ask was, "Is Zelda with them?"

"Yeah, she's in there."

"Good," Link nodded, "because I need to talk to her," he started and went toward the door, only to find a large arm suddenly blocking his path.

"I don't think so, kid." Arden started. "Girl's only for now."

The words sounded absolutely ridiculous, and Link gave him a very confused look. Arden shrugged and told him, "I'm just doing what I was told and keeping everyone out."

At about that time, and with the sound of yelling to go back to the door coming from the women in the room, Cody had come running. The sound of the women yelling at him made both men blink in confusion.

"What are they yelling about?" Link asked Cody as the young man drew in closer.

"They kicked me back out again," Cody informed them, looking up at Arden when he chuckled softly.

"Of course they did, they're women."

Hearing Arden's comment, Link waved his hand and asked, "What are they doing exactly?"

"Being typical females."

The generic answer made Link roll his eyes slightly. Seeing the response, Cody added, "It's nothing, seriously, and by the way, I wanted to ask you about..."

Cody trailed off. He got a dumb look on his face as if he had no idea what he could have asked Link, about ready to take Alia's advice and snatch his hat and run before anything else could happen, when Link rolled his eyes, "I'm going in there anyway."

Arden started chuckling as Link headed to the door, saying to Cody, "I told you not to go into stealth operations, kid," then he turned his blindfolded face to Link, adding, "And you can go in there at your own risk. But don't be surprised when you're yelled at and kicked out by seven angry women and their feisty pet fairy like Cody was. Believe me, they won't be happy to see you."

Link stopped, then sighed out his breath. Slowly, he turned to face Arden, and asked, "Just _why_ can't I go in there then, Arden? Because you guys have told me some pretty inane things up until now."

"Well, to be honest, we're not supposed to tell, but what do I care?"

"Arden, don't!," Cody exclaimed. "They're almost–"

"Kiama got her first girl thing," Arden said, "you know, that _girl thing_ that happens every month?"

Cody gave Arden a look that said he was disgusted, immediately getting quiet. Link just stared at him blankly. Arden shrugged, "Yeah, Impa went down there to give her the birds and the bees about it I guess. Kiama's apparently hurting...," he trailed as if considerate before adding, "or heavy, I can't remember which she said. But she also told me there was a big mess on the chair because of it, and Kiama's completely mortified about it now. Apparently she didn't know she had too–"

Link held up his hands when Arden kept going and shook his head quickly, "Okay, I got it, girl thing. I lived with the Gerudo for a long time, you don't need to explain." With a sigh, he turned around and started walking off, adding, "Whenever they get done, let Zelda know I want to talk to her about something."

"Can do, kid," Arden responded as Link started walking away, and Cody just stared blankly. Arden turned his head in order to look through his shadowed vision down at the young man, and he smirked, "What's wrong, shorty?"

Cody was just dumbfounded over the way Arden had won his victory, slowly turning his head up toward the soldier, asking, "How in the world did you come up with that? I wouldn't have thought of it in a million years."

Arden scoffed, "I had five sisters, and I was the oldest so I went through all of them getting what I just mentioned. Then I served Ganondorf for ten years, and you lie when you have to around him, otherwise," Arden turned his face down, adding, "he kills you. It's not that hard to do."

Cody stared at the man incredulously, unsure what to say in response to that at all. Seeing his look, Arden grinned at him, and Cody decided that Arden wasn't the kind of person you should mess with. Finally, Cody just turned around with a sigh and shook his head. "I would go let them know, but you heard that yelling and shouting. Guess that was icing on the cake for the lie you fed Link."

"Why do you think I came up with it? Nothing gets a woman more upset than an unwanted man intruding on her girl time when it revolves around _that_."

"Geeze," Cody drew out, "I wonder if that's been Alia's problem lately. She keeps snapping at me."

Listening to Cody as he stared into the room where the women were decorating for Link's party thoughtfully, Arden just grinned, finding the whole situation to be amusing as hell.

---

Everyone was daft.

Link didn't get it. When he wasn't being given the run around about something, he was given looks, and when he wasn't getting those looks, he was being shooed away. After about an hour of the treatment, he'd decided he should go hide in his room for a little while. After all, this was just ridiculous, and he was starting to get into a sour mood because of it. Heading to his door, he ran into Lyonel.

He didn't think he'd ever be more grateful to have a father than he was in that moment.

Seeing the odd look on his son's face, Lyonel, who had been heading to Link's room in order to find him and take him to the Assembly Hall where the surprise was waiting for him, asked, "What's wrong, Link?"

Link, pushing his hair from his face with his confusion, replied, "You tell me. I think everyone's gone crazy today."

Coming to a stop outside of Link's door and staring down at him with a raised brow, Lyonel shook his head slowly at the soon to be eighteen year old and asked him, "How is that?"

"Well, they keep shooing me away, giving me funny looks, and then coming up with daft explanations over what they're doing."

"What were they doing?"

"You tell me, that's what I was trying to figure out. It's giving me a headache, so I'm going to my room until everything calms down around here."

Lyonel chuckled softly over his son's confusion, knowing that everyone was trying to keep him in the dark about his surprise party. At least Lyonel could shed some light on that now, he decided, and he asked, "Well, do you really feel bad?"

"Not specifically, just frustrated. Why, do you have something I can actually do?"

With a nod of his head, Lyonel told him, "If you're not too tired, then come with me, I do actually have something to do that you can help me with."

"Good. I really just wanted to talk to Zelda, but apparently she's busy with girl things or something according to Arden, and with the way everyone else treated me whenever I offered to help them with something, I was starting to think I might have stunk."

Lyonel, smiling over the words, just shook his head slowly while they walked on. "They just don't want you to over exert yourself, and neither do I. So I've found something important to do that can still be done easily."

They were moving toward the Assembly Hall now after going down a set of stairs, and Link asked, "Oh? What's that?"

"It's in here," he directed Link, holding his hand out for Link to step inside of the room. Link nodded and turned to walk through the doors, expecting to see something that needed to be fixed maybe, believing that anything right now would have been better than being shooed off or given an odd look.

But for every possible thing he'd thought of that it could be, he'd been wrong.

"**Surprise**! **Happy birthday**!"

The words shouted by everyone could've knocked him over, the words had been yelled with so much force. The room itself was decorated with streamers and lanterns that used colored paper coverings, very festive in feel, and Link just stood there staring at them all blankly.

Arden, who was standing in the back of the room against a corner, and hadn't actually yelled the words while he took a puff of his pipe, chuckled and told them, "I think you scared him."

Everyone started snickering, and as Lyonel stepped in behind Link, and everyone neared him with big smiles, Link asked, "Birthday?" Then he glanced up at Lyonel in question.

"Yes, it's actually tomorrow. Zelda wanted to use the information in order to give you a party today so that tomorrow you could know and not miss it, and never suspect this surprise party being thrown for you."

Link got a blank look on his face, peering over in Zelda's direction, asking, "Is _that_ what you've been hiding, and why everyone's been acting so crazy?"

Zelda looked highly sheepish as she walked over to him and nodded, "Yes, and I'm sorry if I made it seem like I was trying to keep you out of important matters. It _was_ important, but you just couldn't know," she smiled.

"I can see that, and this was all your idea?"

"No, actually, everyone here helped, and Kiama came up with the thought of having it tonight instead of tomorrow."

"I'm sorry if we had you suspicious," Kiama told him as she stepped over, "but happy birthday, Link!"

Link chuckled softly, thanking Kiama before he looked at everyone else, not liking to be the center of attention, but he said, "Thanks a lot, but I really don't know what to say besides that. Except that I'm glad I don't actually stink like I was starting to think with everyone kicking me out all of the time."

Everyone laughed at his comment, and Alia piped up to tell him, "We've got you gifts, and a cake. And there's music," she pointed at some of the men sitting near by with instruments to play, who were already playing an upbeat, fun tune, not really even paying attention to anyone else, simply working their talents out of sheer enjoyment of playing. Alia grinned over it and looked back over at Link, "You just have to blow out the candles! There's only seven though, we couldn't find anymore than that."

On a table centered at the head of the room was a large chocolate cake with seven white candles stuck in the top, all burning. Settled around it on both sides were gifts from some of the people, and Link shook his head slowly even though he was smiling.

"This is," he looked at everyone, "really, it's too much. I don't know why you guys went to the trouble of getting this all prepared."

"Modest!," came Kiama little snickered word, "It's your eighteenth birthday. We just wanted to do something nice for you after all that you've been through!"

Impa, standing next to Zelda, added, "You deserve a little something nice, Link. After all, it never hurts to stop and take a breath. We all could use the distraction to remind ourselves of what it is we're fighting for."

"She's right," Lyonel informed Link, "this isn't too much. In a way, it's for everyone here. A way to unwind you could say."

Link thought about that for a moment as he walked toward the table, nodding his head slowly. Stopping in front of the cake, he looked over at everyone quietly, then he pursed his lips. "Alright, but I have one request if we're going to do this right. Well, I have two actually."

"Name them," Zelda told him.

"Alright then. One, you guys don't sing any birthday songs."

He heard Arden chuckling in the back and glanced over when the large man muttered, "I like his style."

The comment made Link grin, wondering how there was this side to Arden he'd never known about and could have hardly imagined considering their history thus far, supposing that it was true about books and their covers, and then he heard Nissa chiming in, "Aw, but they're fun! I guess we have the music though, so that will work. What's the second request, Link?"

Link smirked, then he looked at Zelda. In thought, he informed everyone, "The only birthday's I had when I was a kid were always celebrated with Mira. We always blew the candles out together. Somehow I don't feel completely right just doing this for me, so I'd like Zelda to help me blow them out now too."

"That's a good idea!," Nissa replied, swiftly flying toward Zelda and waving her hands at her, "Go help him!"

Kiama and Alia looked confused over it. "Mira?" Alia asked. "Who's Mira?"

Zelda looked over at the two and told them, "Me. It was my name when I was a child. I didn't know my true identity until recently."

The young ladies both looked enlightened, nodding at her with their 'oh's', and Zelda looked back over at Link as she remembered the little parties that Alma would throw for them on the day of their adoption, which were fond indeed. He was right, and the two of them always had blown the candles out at the same time. Somehow she found it oddly charming that he would ask to do that again now, and she smiled over it.

With a nod of agreement, Zelda stepped over toward him and the cake, then asked, "Well, are you ready?"

"Ready," he smiled, and they looked down at the candles. Everyone watched them both, and as they took in their breaths and began to blow out the flames lit, extinguishing them all together, their friends began to clap and cheer for them. One of the flames stubbornly refused to blow out however, even though the both of them tried, so Link licked his fingers and pinched the flame off of the wick with a sheepish smirk.

Lyonel just smiled as he took up a position near the back of the room with Arden and Impa, watching Link and Zelda with the rest of the younger people standing near the table now, trying to ask what Link had wished for. Olnor and Betarro were also present, sitting within their own company, including Dorrel's, watching the scene also, and Tenio was standing at a table near the seat where Jada was with Lana, somehow seeming to have taken a licking to the older woman. As Lyonel looked everyone over, he heard Arden's words, "I should have been able to see it."

Glancing down at the blinded soldier sitting there, Lyonel narrowed a brow beneath his hood and asked curiously, "See what?"

"When I first came across Link, I should have been able to see that he was your son. He looks just like you at that age."

Lyonel glanced back over at Link and took in his visage, slowly nodding in agreement, "It is somewhat like looking into a timed mirror." With the words came a thought, and glancing back down at Arden, he asked, "I do want to know something, old friend."

"What's that?"

With the question spoken as Link was sat down in order to open the packages he'd gotten for his birthday, Lyonel asked Arden, "You knew all along that Myriad and I had a child. Why didn't you ever breath word of it to our enemies?"

Arden, pulling his pipe from his mouth, turned his head so he could see the shadowy figure of his friend, then he turned his gaze toward Impa's direction, which was standing just ahead of the table near the wall. As he did, he told Lyonel, "Because of a promise I made."

Impa, though she wasn't facing them, heard the words clearly, and she listened as Arden explained when Lyonel asked what that promise was, "It was made to Impa to never tell a soul. When she arrived the evening she'd handed your son and the Princess over to a couple living in an unnamed village to be raised, she was in tears, and I promised to keep her secret safe, only to tell you that I knew so that she could be alleviated of the guilt she felt for telling me your secret. It was the one promise I decided to keep out of all of the others broken."

Impa closed her eyes when those words were spoken. As she'd felt, Arden was still a good man, and he really did still have feelings for her even after all of this time. Glancing at Impa's back, Lyonel smiled and nodded slowly. Nothing more needed to be said. Lyonel himself however was glad to hear of the benevolence that Arden still possessed, and he was glad to have his old friend back after all of these years. But instead of commenting on it further, he put his mind to the events at hand, the celebration taking place before them all now.

Dorrel and his brother had gone over to congratulate Link while the party went on, and they'd gotten him a gift themselves, which turned out to be an ornate dagger. Olnor had given Link a hammer bag, which was something he'd picked up in his own travels that could carry numerous items normally too big to fit inside of it, which he'd explained he'd gotten from the Zora.

Alia and Kiama had the most difficult time trying to figure out what they could do, and had gone so far as to wander through River Town for most of the day a week before hand to try to find something that they thought he might like, with Zelda's input that was. They went through everything to consider, the snows coming, warm clothing to wear, even a new saddle for his horse, and finally, they decided on getting him something that they'd found in a store by just stumbling across it.

Kiama didn't think he'd have much of a use for it, at first. But Alia said he could probably do anything with it, and deciding that perhaps she was right, they put together their money and got him a boomerang. It was an unconventional weapon to be sure, but somehow it seemed like it might've been fairly useful. Link actually seemed to like the idea as well somehow, and he told them thank you for it.

Link saved Zelda's gift for last, and she'd gotten him what she'd wanted to from the moment she'd arrived in River Town, which was the fishing rod she knew he'd enjoy having. Even if the weather had turned off too cold to use it right away, she still knew that sometime, he would go use it and have a lot of fun with it, and all that mattered to her was seeing him having a good time anyway.

It was an evening well spent. While there were a few things that could have made it more perfect, one of them being a thought that Lyonel had to wish Myriad was there to see it, it did go as perfectly as it could have. Link wasn't quite up to any dancing like Alia drug Cody out in order to do, and one very surprising thing was to see Tenio with Jada, after asking the shy young lady and finally convincing her.

Link sat at a table by himself with Zelda, watching everyone having a good time dancing to the lively music, and they looked over when they heard Nissa exclaiming she'd eaten too much cake. Smiling at the full fairy, Zelda turned her gaze to Link, and she asked, "So, even though you can't dance right now, are you enjoying yourself?"

Link nodded, a little smile on his face as he watched everyone having a good time. "Very, I'm just glad to see everyone in good spirits despite what's going on. It makes me feel like everything we've been through so far has been worth it."

Hearing the words put a smile on the Princess's face, and she looked up to see that Jada had stumbled in her steps and, in mortification, moved away from Tenio swiftly, apologizing profusely while he smiled and laughed, shaking his head to tell her it was alright. Finally, Jada pulled her hands away from her face to see that he wasn't mad at her, and she looked at his hand when he offered it again, then slowly reached for it to try dancing once more.

Kiama was with her father dancing as well, and Alia was trying to get Cody to do more than just act somewhat sour. Zelda then looked over to see Lyonel, Impa, and Arden at the same table, somehow seeming to be the wisest of them all, also enjoying the sights and sounds of the group surrounding them along with others of the revolt whom were partaking in the activities, made her feel very good inside.

Was it the right time for a celebration? Zelda had questioned it, and even felt badly for considering it at times, but she knew now the truth. It was the best time for a celebration, and she didn't feel badly anymore for wanting to throw a party for Link when so much bad was going on in the kingdom that needed immediate attention. It was the perfect time to have one in fact.

It meant that not everything had been lost and there was, in fact, still hope.

Zelda hadn't realized it, as per usual, but her hand was in Link's, though he himself had noticed it. Looking down at it, seeing how small her hand was in comparison to his, he remembered the argument they'd had the day before, and he looked over at her face to see her enjoyment of the festivities in just watching them. He wished he could take her onto the floor for a dance, but sadly his leg wouldn't let him, so he'd just have to do something else to make up for it. A good start, he figured, would be an apology.

"Zelda," he started, getting her attention, "I'm sorry for snapping at you the other day. I was worried, and I thought you might've been trying to keep me out of everything for a little while there. But I did hide something from you. I can't tell you what that is, not yet, but I will, when the time is right. I just can't place it all on the table without first thinking through how I need to say it."

Zelda watched him as he spoke, and the words told her that whatever it was he'd been hiding that she had yet to figure out was important. Deciding that, with the source of the secret at hand, being Ganondorf, it had to be completely serious and he was probably right, and he needed to handle the matter delicately. So she nodded at Link and told him he could wait.

"You don't need to apologize. If it's important, and you have to say whatever it is just right, then don't say it until you're ready. I'm sorry I pushed, but I was really only trying to distract you from your birthday party secret."

Link smiled, realizing all of that now, and he squeezed her hand to show her he wasn't at all angry over anything anymore, and had never been angry at her to begin with. He was just uncertain of the outcome of the secret he knew being exposed to her. Maybe he would get a chance to tell her later that evening, or in the morning, when much less was going on. But here definitely wasn't the place to speak of.

For the next few hours, everyone had a good time. Talking and just enjoying themselves over food being served and stories being told, Link eventually left the party before anyone else. He had to though because, even though there was a fire going in the Assembly Hall, the cold from the snowy night outside had set his leg to aching. He wanted to stay longer, and told everyone he was sorry, but he did still need his rest, and no one complained too much since it couldn't be helped.

Giving a final thanks for the gifts and the wonderful party, he retired for the evening and set off to his room. Somehow, on the way out, having said goodnight to Zelda, he felt as if it had been an incredibly long time since he'd even seen her. They hadn't really had much time to talk at all, and he felt as if he missed her.

Zelda, watching him leave the doors to the Assembly Hall, had the same thought. She knew exactly why it was as well, and without speaking it, she knew that, once she left the party, she'd definitely go to see him.


	50. Curiosity

_**Author's Note**__: This is a very long chapter, so if you guys were wondering about the lack of updates lately, then there's your sign lol xD!_

_With that said, WARNING, this chapter contains adult content not suitable to the kiddies. So if you're not old enough, and you read this anyway, I'm not to blame for corrupted minds!!!_

_---_

_Chapter 49 - Curiosity_

Following his party, Link ended up sitting in his room, pulling the bandage from his chest in order to change it. Tensing as he unraveled the white material, he looked at the line of wounds across his chest which almost resembled the direction the strap of his chest harness went in, but in the opposite direction, and he gently pushed on the skin near one of the wounds to see how tender it still was. For the first time, he was able to push without tensing, and he nodded his head in satisfaction before he started cleaning it.

Link was thankful that they seemed to be healing up so well, no more redness or swollen spots, but he wasn't going to slack up on keeping them clean. Pushing himself up, he heard a knock on the door, and he asked, "Who is it?"

"It's Zelda."

Link cussed over the bad timing. Shirtless like he was, not even bandaged, he knew she'd have to wait a while before he could get the wounds properly cleaned up, but he didn't want to pass up the opportunity to talk to her, not to mention she was likely cold in the hallway. So he said, "Come in, but don't be surprised at what you see."

It took her a moment, probably considering his words made her hesitate a little, but she finally opened the door and stepped inside. His back was facing her while he was cutting some strips of clothe for his bandages with a pair of shears, and there were two lines of wounds across his skin that she had yet to see until just then. All Zelda had seen were the ones on his arms, everything else had been bandaged every time he'd been with her, and the wounds reminded her of just what condition he actually was still in.

Before she could comment on anything though, he said when he'd heard the door shutting, "I know it's not exactly polite to tell you to come in when I'm not fully dressed, but I really wanted to talk to you, and this would take too long to wait. Not to mention it's a little warmer in here than out there."

He glanced over at her face to see her nodding, and noticed that she was wearing a white fur cloak she'd gotten from Bessa who'd given it to her when she heard of Zelda's refusal to allow them to insulate her room until everyone else was taken care of. "It has grown very cold," she commented in casual reply, trying not to seem as if she might've been staring at him. "That _is_ one of the reasons I came. I know it's late, but it's freezing in my quarters, and I also wanted to talk to you because we haven't done much talking lately. It seems like you've been bed ridden, I've been busy, or we've been mad at one another."

Keeping his back facing her for the moment, he nodded over the words before he told her, "I'm really glad you did," and went back to work on dressing his wounds while Zelda became quiet again. He didn't want her to see all of them, not just because of some kind of male pride and his concern about worrying her, but also because, well, they were ugly wounds, and he wasn't sure how she'd react.

Zelda, however, could see now the size the barbs must have been, and all over again, she felt very guilty for sending him off on his own, even though she'd already told herself a hundred times it had been the wisest thing to do. She found herself walking over to him, and Link could sense her there behind him before he felt her drawing her fingertips across his back, the touch light, like a butterfly's wings on his skin - soft and smooth.

"He hurt you so badly," she drew out on a sad voice.

Link had grown still as she traced her fingers over his skin, never once touching the wounds, but his eyes closed, as if enjoying the simple closeness, which he did. He couldn't help himself, and had to resist the urge to turn around and return some type of touch of his own. After all, his interests in her had grown, and maybe he'd only just realized how much, but he was currently very aware of just how tempting a desire she was to him.

Reaching over while he had these thoughts, Zelda took his arm, and even though he was shirtless, she turned him around so she could see his chest too.

Letting her, he opened his eyes and looked down at her face, watching her look at the wounds across his chest which were bigger than in the back since, when he'd been caught in the barbs, he'd been hanging forward on them slightly. He watched her lips part as she released her breath over the sight of them, and then glanced up at his face.

"They don't hurt much anymore," he reassured her when he saw the look. "There's only one that does, on my leg, but it's okay. You don't have to worry about it. He hurt me but," Link shook his head, saying meaningfully, "he's hurt us both."

"I know that," she nodded, then she lifted her hands to his shoulders, feeling the undeniable need to try to heal him with her magical abilities despite what she'd been told, and Link watched her quietly. Before her hands touched his skin, they began to glow a soft white color, and when they came into contact with him, he felt a warmth spreading through his body that was, in the least, soothing whether it worked or not.

The smaller wounds began to close up a little bit, the bigger ones getting smaller than they'd been themselves, before Zelda had to stop. She could see for a fact now that they'd come a long enough ways to be healed by this realms magic, but not far enough in one try. Link could feel the difference without even looking, though he did, glancing down at his chest to see that they weren't as big as before, and he smiled over it.

Seeing his smile put one of her own upon her lips. "I suppose I can do this again soon and it will help to rid you of the rest of them faster."

Nodding his head, Link watched her as she looked up to his face, and their eyes caught. Somehow, things just didn't seem important outside of them in that moment, and they both stepped in a little closer to one another. Dropping the bandage he'd been holding, Link leaned down while she stood up on her tiptoes and their mouths met, completely forgetting rhyme and reason together. Inappropriateness didn't matter, the topic he wanted to speak to her over didn't matter. It felt like it had been ages since they'd even seen each other, and they only wanted what they were sharing in that moment.

Zelda, worried about putting her hands in the wrong place, left them to rest on his shoulders, while Link put his arms around her sides beneath the cloak she wore, and held her close to him as their lips parted against one another's. The kiss was slow and sweet, but somehow urgent on the same token, because of their lack of ability to be alone with one another lately as they'd grown so accustomed to being in their travels. After several long, breathless moments between them, Link let his forehead rest against hers, and with his eyes still shut, he told her, "I missed you."

She knew what he meant. Trying not to think about how warm he felt, or definitely not the fact that he was shirtless, even though she couldn't help herself, she blushed in response to both the kiss and the thoughts, gently combing her fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck. "I missed you too," she replied, her eyes still closed, "and...," she added before she was cut off by another kiss, not minding in the slightest and returning it completely.

She could feel his fingers slipping up into her own hair, holding her close while their mouths mingled and their tongues rubbed, drawing a life into her she hadn't felt very often before, but one she knew was arousal. It made her whimper into his mouth, and she wondered if her feet were even still on the floor, becoming a great deal breathless and dizzy.

Hearing her responses didn't make his own ardor any easier to bare, tugging his lips away from hers as he took a few deep breaths of his own, still holding her close to him. This was the absolute best he'd felt in weeks, and he didn't want it to stop. He didn't want to stop at her mouth either, he wanted to kiss her throat, her shoulders, anywhere he could, but he made himself stay reserved just because it wasn't exactly the right time for that behavior.

Zelda seemed to realize the same thing, though she didn't back away, had just turned her head to nuzzle her cheek against his shoulder, slowly beginning to breath more and more easily. While she did, she wondered if it was wrong for her to have felt as aroused as she had, but how could she have helped herself? Letting her eyes open, she felt a cool chill from the window in the room, and realized he was still shirtless, so she lifted her head back and looked up at him.

"Let me help you dress your wounds. It's snowing outside, after all, and it's freezing cold."

Link nodded slowly in response to let her, gently releasing her and sitting down so that she could help him to put the bandages back on. Watching her taking the strips of clothe, Zelda turned, then crawled up onto the bed behind him, removing the heavy fur cloak she'd been wearing so that she could move her arms more freely. Beneath it she was wearing a simple white dress with no sleeves, sporting a button down bodice which she thought was comfortable to sleep in.

She realized the garment looked strange with her boots on, but she'd snuck quietly in order to reach Link's room because she hadn't wanted anyone to see her going there due to possible controversy since it was fairly late. After all, she realized that, just as he'd said his being shirtless might've been improper, her very coming to his room at such an hour was considered the same. So she wasn't worried at all about how she looked.

Link lifted his arms for her so that she could put the clothe around his side and above the opposing shoulder. Working the bindings gently, she began to think about their conversation during the party, and she had to ask him about it.

"Is this a good time to try to tell me what you needed to?"

Link lowered his arm when she began to secure the bandage, and he looked back at her. Honestly, he didn't want to talk about it at all considering this was the first time they'd truly been alone in so long, but it _was_ a good time to tell her.

With a sigh of breath, he replied, "I suppose so. But it can wait until you're done."

Finishing with the bandage, she leaned down a little to the side so she could see his face, asking curiously, "Is it bad news?"

"I wouldn't call completely bad," he replied thoughtfully, "but it has bad implications."

Zelda looked at his eyes after he spoke those words, weighing them and preparing herself for it. As she did, she turned and grabbed more of the bandages to wrap around his lower stomach where a few of the still healing wounds were settled, asking him softly while she worked, "It's about my parents?"

He was silent, looking down at her hands on his lower abdomen as she finished binding the dressing she'd been putting on him, and she waited until she finished for his response. Once done, she sat back on the bed and folded her legs to the side, watching him turning around to face her, pulling on a white button down shirt he'd been wearing on and off because it had been easier for him to sleep in and still keep warm than his regular tunic allowed him to get on and off considering his wounds, but he left it unbuttoned for the moment. He simply figured there really was no point to taking the time to close it, otherwise Zelda might've thought he was stalling.

Looking over at her, thinking on what he knew he needed to tell her, he reached for her hand again, and she let him take it, folding her fingers against his larger palm before looking at his face. It was then that he started speaking over what he needed to say.

"I'd already decided, the moment I knew he was there, not to say anything to Ganondorf, because there was nothing to be said to someone who had no intentions of hearing." He'd looked down with a slightly angry expression, as if trying to keep himself in check and tell this to her in the right manner.

Zelda could tell that whatever had been spoken must have really left a sour taste in Link's mouth due to the way he'd spoken the words. This was the first time he'd spoken to anyone about that evening period, and she knew it had to be hard for him just because he'd suffered so much alone. She reached over with the thought in mind and put her hand on his cheek, turning his face to look at her. Slowly turning his face, his eyes met hers, and she said "Link, I won't push. You seem to still be protecting me from something, so I know whatever it is doesn't need a brash response. You don't have to rush."

Looking at her face, seeing her own vigilance in her violet blue eyes, Link reached over to her side. When he did, Zelda let him pull her closer, and she settled herself against him. Putting his arm around the small of her back, he finally continued, "When I tell you this, Zelda, it will play into his hands."

The words surprised her a little. "How so?"

With the question, he knew it was time to get it out. So Link began. "Because he wants you to come running to him and bring him one of the Triforce halves he's been pining over. Your ignorance is the only thing that's kept you safe, and by his own words, he believes you'll more than likely go running off in the middle of the night to save them. But," he looked at her, his eyes on hers, earnest in their gaze, "Hadinaru and Nissandra are alive, being held in the Palace, under some kind of deep slumber that Dragmire put them both in to use against you when he found out you hadn't been killed like he'd planned."

Somewhere during the middle of his words, she knew what he was going to say, that her parents were still alive, but she just didn't know how. Hearing it made things both more clear and more painful at the same time. The tiny spark of hope that flickered inside of her over their being alive was far outweighed by the worry she felt for the situation she was in, and Link felt her fingers tightening their grip on his shirt behind him and his hand in his lap, and her eyes squeezed shut.

Ganondorf was using her parents against her, she thought to herself. She'd started shaking with both her anger and her worry, and feeling it, Link pulled her in more closely. "Zelda, say something."

The concern in Link's voice, and the way he held her so closely, did seem to make it a little better, but it also jerked her response out of her somehow as she began crying. Her lips parted, but she couldn't speak, and seeing her distress, he pulled her into a tight embrace, kissing the top of her head, letting her weep if she needed to.

Solemnly his voice came to her pointed ears as he held her there, "I'm sorry, Zelda. This was another reason I didn't want to tell you, Zelda. I knew it would hurt you just as much as I was physically hurt."

He was right, when she thought about it. It was almost as if she should have been the one strung up by barbs and sharp thorns, and she felt the need to cling to him tightly stronger than she ever had before. Link had taken to rubbing her back, trying to soothe her in any way that he could, and while he did so, he said, "I know he was telling the truth. I'd considered he might have been lying, but somehow, it just doesn't fit. I wish I could say otherwise. He'd already told Myriad of it as well, and when I asked her, she told me she felt the same way."

Zelda finally felt able to get a better grip on her emotions as he spoke, and in doing so, she lifted her head slowly to look up at him. Her eyes still glistening from her tears, she asked him, "Link, if they're alive, and in some kind of sleep, do you think we'll be able to save them too?"

He nodded without question, his brows narrowed seriously over the thought. "Of course. I won't give up without trying to any way it goes, and you know I won't."

She knew he wouldn't, and that she surely wouldn't give up trying to either, and she also understood now the source of his silence over the matter. Because it would bother her so much. But she had to remind herself that Link didn't have both of his parents either, Myriad was sealed in an entirely different realm, more than likely much harder to reach than her parents would be, and in knowing his pain fully now, the pain of realizing that one of the parents you'd never met weren't in completely good graces, she took in a breath and asked the most logical question she could think of.

"Why is it that we both have parents to save?"

Somehow, the question had sounded a little funny, and Zelda couldn't stop herself from smiling slightly over it. But that smile was short lived indeed when anger rose up in her and, without any other outlet for it, she pounded her fist down into the mattress before covering her eyes with more tears.

Watching her do this, Link sighed in a breath and he leaned forward, placing a kiss to her temple before pulling her hand away from her eyes and threading his fingers through hers. With his mouth close to her ear, he whispered gently, "It's just how things worked out, and we've always known we have to undo it. The only thing that has changed, Zelda, is that now, you have a real chance to meet your parents."

There he went again. He was always saying the one thing she needed to hear in order to make her feel better, and she knew he was absolutely right. She wouldn't turn back to the story it had been before, that her mother and father were dead and gone, and there was no way of ever knowing them. Had she the option to chose which fate she'd rather have, she'd chose the one Link had just told her of, because now she could actually get to know them if their cards were played right.

She'd stared at him as he'd tugged her hand away from her face and started wiping her tears from her cheeks with his thumb while she considered this. Once he was done, he saw the look she was giving him, and she grabbed his hand and clutched it in her own before she leaned up and kissed him as fiercely as she knew how to. It surprised him only a slight bit, but he didn't turn the kiss away, let her show him her affection, and when the kiss broke, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"I love you so much. I can't tell you how much. I just can't put it into words, and it almost breaks my heart that I can't. But you always make me feel better somehow, and I know how silly it sounds, but I feel like I can't get close enough to you."

He knew the feeling all too well, and turned his head to kiss her throat. The motion sent shivers through her skin, but in a very good way, much different from how the cold did, and she listened as he said, "It's good that I do, Zelda, I just want you to be alright."

"Thanks to you I will be," she replied, sitting back slowly to look up at him. She'd had a thought in that moment she needed to tell him, one she'd only just considered which she knew would be important.

"We can't tell anyone about this. Like you said, my ignorance is my only protection. If it starts to spread that the king and queen are alive, he could finally use them against me. As much as I really wish to be able to free them, I have to follow your example. After all, Myriad's imprisoned too. Ganondorf doesn't know we have a common tie, and you didn't know it either before you returned here injured. All this will serve to do is strengthen our bond against him. Not tear us apart like he wanted it to."

Link had yet to think of their commonality over the issue, as he hadn't had a parent he'd wished to set free whenever he'd learned the news of the king and queen. Had he considered that sooner, instead of being so distracted by his suspicions of the secrets being kept around him, he might've told her beforehand.

Ganondorf thought that he could either drive them apart, or at least put friction between the two of them by giving Link the news, forcing him to keep a secret, or telling Zelda and giving her the desire to go to the Palace prematurely in order to free them. Ganondorf hadn't known there would be a common bond in his estimates that would simply drive them even closer together due to similar pains.

Link almost wanted to laugh about it.

But he didn't. Instead, he asked the woman before him, "Do you want to know why I love you so much, Zelda?"

Zelda found herself shaking her head as she leaned against him again, began to draw her fingertips up and down against the back of his shirt, and she listened as he told her, "For the same reasons you love me. You're smart, and you have this way of making me feel just as good. You're also selfless, and I think, despite the fact that you're turning out to be more and more of a capable leader and easing into the role of the Princess so well, you're still the same little girl back in Kakariko in so many ways, taking my hand when you feel bad and talking to me about whatever's bothering you, or even making you happy. Somehow I appreciate that."

Zelda felt she understood what he meant, that maybe he'd thought before that he could possible become insignificant in the face of her royalty, or perhaps at some point, even though it had been a small worry for him, he'd been afraid that she wouldn't need him anymore. Doubts like that rose up from time to time after all, and she had also worried that as she became more of the Princess she was destined to become, she would be met with disapproval for her feelings for Link. But she would never leave him behind even if that happened, and she'd find a way to keep reminding him of how important to her he was if it did.

Looking up at him after he'd spoken, she gave him a smile finally, and felt, for the moment, most of her troubles melting away. She just needed to be there with him for a while, without worrying about anything else, she just needed him close, so she could relax and clear her thoughts. Maybe then, once her mind had gotten rest, she'd be able to even figure out a way to save both of their parents without a problem. Who knew? So, with that consideration in mind, she put all of her attention onto the man she was with now, wondering, if he wasn't around, how truly bad her life might've been.

Leaning up, she kissed him gently, just a simple kiss, and he watched her settle back for a moment. It wasn't enough, so he leaned toward her, kissing her again. When the second one broke, they stared at each other for only a moment, somehow finding their behavior amusing. With smiles in place, they leaned in equally, wrapping their arms around one another and kissing much more thoroughly.

Link rubbed his hands up and down her bare upper arms, feeling a bit of cold there, though it was only slight because of their closeness, and the touches made Zelda breathless, her skin tingling against his fingers. She'd found her hands wandering to his sides, against his abdomen, his shirt parting a little more while one of her sleeves fell off of her shoulders. When he turned his hands against her narrow waist and turned his head to run his lips down against her throat and her newly exposed shoulder, she inhaled a shaky breath.

Was it suddenly summertime outside? She felt that way, couldn't really explain it, and it was in that moment that she realized there were so many things she couldn't precisely explain whenever it came to the two of them that she wanted to know and understand better that she almost got frustrated by it. Whenever he did this, she felt like she couldn't breathe, got dizzy, and became flushed with heated chills all over her body. If she kissed him in the same places, would he do the same thing?

She tested that thought to find out, turning her face away from his lips and pressing kisses across his jaw and to his throat, down across it against his shoulder, his response being to slide his arms around her back, holding her closer with a groan that somehow made her heartbeat flutter in her chest. Now she was even more curious, having not realized she would have appreciated his responses to her own touches.

His eyes shut against her attentions, wondering, but at the same time not caring, why she'd felt the need to explore him in this manner which was much more intimate than she'd been before. Taking in a deep breath while she nibbled gently against his skin, he unwillingly realized in those moments where they were, and even though he didn't want to, he told her it might have been a bad idea.

"Zelda, we should slow down. We're on a bed, alone, and I don't think I really need to be so tempted."

Tempted, she thought, sitting back and looking up at his face. He saw curiosity there in her eyes on top of embarrassment in her cheeks, and listened to her saying, "I don't mean to do anything we aren't ready for yet, but somehow, I get the feeling we know each other so well, we would both like to know more. Maybe it's wrong of me to say, but it's true."

"I know," Link responded, looking her over, the way her sleeve had decided to fall off of her shoulder, how her breasts were confined within the bodice of the simple white dress she wore, her narrow waist, slender arms, slightly bronzed blonde hair crowning her head spilling down over her back to hang around her waist in thick waves, wondering to himself if she'd been put together just to be enjoyable to look at alone. How could he even begin to think of taking this woman within the old outpost the revolt was using? Especially for her first time.

"But this definitely isn't the right place, and I'm not in the best condition. I don't want you to have to worry about ugly scars or even bandages."

As much as Link truly wanted her, he wanted it to be just right for her. On top of the area not being what he wanted for her, he was also still injured, even if she'd helped to heal those wounds. He had bandages on him, and he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable, even through something with superficiality. Her needs, in his book, came first, no matter how important the aspect was.

"That doesn't matter to me," she told him with a shake of her head, adding the words, "though I do agree, this isn't the right place, but," with a sigh, she trailed off before getting her thoughts right, and then she placed her hands against his chest and slowly pressed them upwards, into his shirt, across his shoulders, "I can't help but want to know so much more about it, about you, than I already do. I want to know why I get so breathless when you're close, and why my skin tingles whenever you touch me." She looked up at his face to see how he might've looked, and when she realized he looked as if he were enjoying the attention he was getting, she added, "I want to know why I like seeing that look on your face."

"What look," he asked her, his eyes lidded as he watched her quietly.

"The one that says you like what we're doing just as much as I do. Does that make me a bad person to want to know those things?"

Link couldn't tell her it did, saying, "No, it just makes you normal. We both want to get closer, I just want us to do it right."

"I know, so do I," she nodded, then asked, "I trust you completely though, do you trust me the same way?"

"Of course."

Hearing those words, she nodded and sat back. Link figured that perhaps he'd talked her out of this somehow, but when he looked over at her, he realized she was undoing the buttons of her bodice. His eyes went a slight bit wide with surprise, and he reached over to take her wrists into his hands. When he did, she looked up at his face, and he asked her, "What are you doing?"

She was trembling slightly, but there was fortitude in her gaze, determination, and she told him, "Link, I love you, you're the only person I ever want to have anything to do with, and we trust one another. So why can't I offer to let you know more as well?"

She was going to drive him crazy. With that determination over her actions, Link groaned and slowly shook his head at her, saying, "Because I won't compromise you."

His nobility simply made her want to offer even more, and she asked him, "How would you do that?"

With a sigh of breath, seeing she wasn't going to give up on her curiosities - and when she ever did, he had no idea - he explained, "Because if I get too aroused, it won't be so easy to just stop, Zelda. And I love you too much to make any mistakes with you."

"I don't think we could," she said, unbuttoning another button even though she felt embarrassed to be doing so, then another, steadily holding his gaze with her own. "Besides, it's not fair, Link. You've had the privilege to know what it's like to be close to someone, to know why you feel the way you do with me."

She'd gotten the last button undone, and he could only stare at her for a moment, even though her chest wasn't completely exposed, he could still see the flat of her stomach and the bodice part over the swells of her breasts, making him a good bit thoughtless before he told her on a soft voice, "I want to show you why, believe me."

The words made her breathless, watching as he slowly put his arms around her, laying back beneath him when he moved next to her, staring up at his face with her hands resting on his shoulders, her eyes looking a bit hazy from both arousal and nervous anticipation of what might happen between them. "Then show me?" She asked him, though a hot blush had stained her cheeks in doing so.

Link knew that he wanted her so badly, and he wanted her completely, but that was another story fir a different day. For now, if she was ready to know more, to be introduced to what he'd already experienced, and was honestly asking him to let her know more, then he didn't see any reason why he couldn't show her. Maybe she was right, and it was unfair to her to be so in the dark over why she felt certain things whenever he touched her or kissed her, but he didn't just jump in when she'd asked him to.

Instead, he took a deep breath of his own and asked her, "Are you sure?"

Zelda nodded slowly, "Yes, I am."

With those spoken words, she felt his hand slipping up against her ribs slowly to her still covered breast. She found herself unable to even breathe almost, her eyes shutting against the sensations of his warm palm as it slowly cupped the mound. Link could see her nipple straining against the fabric of her dress, and he heard the gasp of breath she'd finally made as he pushed the material to the side, revealing the pink tipped breast completely, wondering how it was that, with each new part of her exposed, she only grew more beautiful to him. Her fingers clutched around his wrist, though she wasn't pushing his hand away, while he let his thumb circle the nipple he'd found, listening to her breathing pick up a good bit.

Turning his head, he pressed a kiss against her throat, and was able to feel her pulse throbbing against his lips. "Zelda," he whispered into her ear, "are you alright?"

With a shaky intake of breath, she nodded slowly, but couldn't open her eyes to look at him, too embarrassed to do so. She was completely surprised over the way it all felt, how heated she'd become, and the fact that a simple touch to one area of her body could affect so many other places that seemed to be completely unrelated. Though she was embarrassed over the thought, the worst place seemed to be between her thighs, clenching them together tightly against the throbbing that had developed there.

Link watched her biting her bottom lip, and he knew why she was doing it. It was the same reason he felt so breathless, just looking at her making him feel a drunken dizziness he had only felt on very few occasions before now, but never to this extent, because he loved her so much. His love for her made it so much more important to him to see to it that she was satisfied as well.

She turned her face away, unable to speak still, gripping her arm around him more tightly when his hand covered her sensitive breast, and she could only wonder for a moment why she'd said what she had as he kneaded it and pinched her nipple. It wasn't that she didn't feel ready, it was simply that she hadn't known the pleasure involved would have been this thoroughly intense. Her face was on fire when he parted the other side of her shirt so that her entire chest was exposed.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured to her, and she felt less tense because of it, remembering how thoroughly she trusted him when she heard his voice, how she knew there was nothing he'd do to her that would hurt her.

Opening her eyes to look up at him, she heard him whispering to her, "If you want me to stop, I will."

"I know," she breathed out, trembling beneath him, and her fingers slowly roamed from his wrist to his arm and then his back, shaking her head. "I just didn't know it...was..."

She wasn't sure how to describe it with words and do it justice, and Link closed his eyes and covered her mouth with his own, making her even more dizzy than before. Once the slow kiss broke, he whispered, "I know, just relax love," and lowered his mouth to her chin, then slowly down her throat. Zelda's head fell back, those dizzying waves rolling over her as if she were at the beach, warm and crashing down pleasantly on her, and she made another whimper when his lips trailed over her breast, her fingers clenching into his hair as she unwittingly stared down at him.

"Link!," came her voice suddenly and breathlessly when his lips covered her nipple, his tongue rolling slowly over it, and she closed her eyes tightly, her back arching over the sensation sparking into her, making her completely restless and her leg lift against his, blinding her to the fact that she'd pressed her fingers into his hair and held him close to her as if she didn't want him to stop.

Her reactions were driving him completely insane. Desire rolling up through him, he squeezed her opposite breast, feeling her fingers tightening against the back of his head and into his hair, though she hadn't pulled on it at all. Her legs had parted, one of his slipping between them, and Link lifted himself up and over her, breathing heavily while he looked down at her. He was hard, completely aroused now, and he knew for a fact that if he didn't take some time to keep himself in check, things would go too far too fast.

When he'd lifted himself onto his arms, Zelda, breathing heavily, let her eyes open as her fingers slipped down to his cheeks and then against both sides of his jaw, staring up at him. Narrowed brows crowned her glistening violet blue eyes, and she asked him, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," he shook his head, taking a much needed breath, "I'm just getting too aroused too quickly. I don't want to go too far, and I will if we don't slow down."

He was still trying to look out for the both of them, and with the thought, Zelda leaned up, finding his mouth with hers in a kiss she couldn't deny giving him in that moment, one she felt him return intensely. She loved his response so much she couldn't stop herself from pushing her newly bared chest into his, wanting to seal herself against him if she could.

She still had no idea why it felt so good though, where it all led, and didn't even care anymore all at the same time. The only thing she wished was that he weren't bandaged at all, knowing somehow that it would feel better with nothing separating them as it did now. Still, she didn't care, just as long as she were with him there in that moment.

He gently lowered himself again as they kissed one another, and when she laid back against the mattress, their affections becoming slower and more intent instead of carnal and desperate, she felt a hardness against her thigh that she wasn't sure completely the source of.

When he turned his head, freeing her lips in order to place kisses along her throat and against one of her pointed ears, she rubbed her fingers into his back with a massage that he couldn't ignore was completely nice, and heard her asking him, "Is that...," she stopped, and whispered much more shyly, "you know?"

He had no clue what she was talking about and slowly lifted his head to look down at her. "What?"

"Against my thigh."

She was blushing to the roots of her hair nearly, and he thought about it, then realized what she was talking about with a look of discovery on his face. Slowly, he nodded his head and told her, "I can't help it."

"I know," she whispered in reply, biting her lip somewhat timidly before she added in question, "does it hurt?"

Looking back and forth between her eyes, he shook his head, saying, "It aches. But not in a bad way."

It sounded just like she felt between her thighs, which she wasn't about to tell him the truth of, but curiously, she went on, "Will it go away?"

He sighed out, knowing how innocent she was to the whole concept, and he started telling her, "Over time, but–," before he was cut off when, and in a good bit of surprise, he felt her slowly risking to touch his lower abdomen, as if she wanted to feel the proof of his arousal he couldn't help but have now, though she just couldn't get her fingers to go that far without knowing how he would react first.

His eyes had shut with a lowly made groan as her fingers trailed across his skin and over his navel, down lower when she saw his response, and he clenched his fist into the pillow her head was resting on, wondering if he should stop her or not, wondering why he wasn't already stopping her - as if he didn't really know - but then he only let a deep breath and a groan of pleasure when she found the place she'd been so innocently curious about.

Zelda couldn't stop watching him, couldn't drag her eyes away from his face, finding the bulge seated in the crotch of his pants, and even though he was still in fact wearing them, Link felt a pleasure that he couldn't hide from her, his chest heaving a bit. It was yet another surprise to Zelda, who had no idea that seeing him reacting to her touches like this would be something she'd want to see so badly, and she slowly began to rub her palm back and forth where she was touching him now to see what would happen.

"Zelda," he groaned out, lowering his face to her throat, the grunt she heard somehow completely erotic, and she whispered his name in reply, breathing more heavily herself.

She wanted to go further. She knew that perhaps it was wrong in that they weren't married, or that, even though they loved one another so much, it might have been too soon. But she knew that she never wanted to give this to anyone else just as strongly as she knew she was a Hylian, and somehow, someway, it just didn't feel wrong to her at all. It felt as if things were supposed to be this way, as if they were going down the right path, and it was theirs alone, no one elses.

Link felt his belt becoming undone, and when he did, he reached for her wrist, forcing himself to do so, but he stopped her from opening his pants at all. When he did, Zelda parted her lips to say his name, but he beat her to her words by saying, "No, Zelda, I can't let this keep going. It's not right."

Zelda's brows narrowed up at him when he told her that. Slowly shaking her head, she asked, "How is it not right?"

"Because," he took a deep breath, slowly plucking her hand away from him despite the fact that he was throbbing so hard now he actually was hurting, "I don't want to get all of the attention, and then," he took another deep breath, but grew quiet when she kissed him once more, and felt her hand returning to his pants, opening them anyway.

Zelda knew what was making him stop her now, which was his nobility, his selflessness, and even though she was embarrassed by such things, she didn't want to let him spend all of his attention on her, innocent or not, and use the excuse of either being thoughtful or whatever else he might've come up with to keep her from giving to him the way she wanted to.

So she'd done what she'd wanted to, slipped her fingers into his open pants slowly, modestly keeping her eyes from looking at what she could feel by kissing him, and pushed through her fears of the unknown when she found his heated skin. The touches, the rubbing, made him wrench his mouth from her with a much louder groan of pleasure, his arm tightening around her back as he reached for her hand to stop her again, his voice gruff as he got out, "Zelda...," then clenched her wrist as her fingers folded around the smooth, thick shaft, which completely stopped his protests.

"Let me," she insisted, watching him through a lidded gaze, unsure of what she was doing exactly, but it seemed that just touching and rubbing him brought him all the pleasure she could have ever hoped to. "Let me give to you, you've already done so much for me, and I love you."

"That's," he groaned loudly, breathlessly finishing, "different."

"No," she whispered, keeping her eyes on his pleasured face as he lay on his side next to her, his eyes shut and brows narrowed as if he were trying to bare what he was feeling, her fingers stroking slowly up and down, adding, "it's not at all. I...I don't know why but...I love seeing your face right now. I want to see it." Wetting her lips with her tongue, her nose against his, she added, "So show me...how to make it better."

He didn't know how he did it, but he managed a nod to her, slowly taking her fingers and gripping her hand tighter around him. When he did, and she began the motions again, still too afraid to actually look at him, or rather, where she was touching him, he turned and pressed his face against her throat, his breathing much harder now, panting against her skin while he pressed kisses along it.

Zelda drew her opposite arm around him more tightly, and he whispered out to her how good it felt, a wave of desire rising up in him so hard and fast he had to tense up to keep himself from doing anything he knew he might regret later, and while it held his urgent need to hike her skirt up completely at bay, it didn't stop the feelings of release that was quickly threatening to crash into him, especially when he thought of how much better this would be inside of her instead of in her hand.

"Zelda, stop," he groaned out suddenly.

"W-why?"

"Because I'm...gonna come," he breathed the words out, but it was already too late for stopping now, and he grabbed something sitting on the bedside table. It was a strip of the white clothe he'd cut earlier that hadn't been used, which he took because he didn't want to get anything on her considering he didn't yet know how she might react.

On a much more growled out voice, he moaned her name loudly and grunted when the first wave of the intense pleasure started to hit his entire body at once, making him grab her hand to stop her movements for a moment. He couldn't help the grunted sounds he made as he felt his release flooding throughout his body, pressing his forehead against hers without even thinking about it through the hot orgasm she'd given him

She couldn't stop watching him, wondering just how good it actually did feel after all, but from the way he looked, it felt too good for words. She whispered his name in reply, let him guide her hand, still too afraid to look at him, while he came on the strip of clothe he'd used, slowly beginning to stop tensing his muscles as he lay on his side next to her where he'd been throughout most of this.

Zelda hugged him while he began to relax, rubbed her cheek against his shoulder, listening to his heavy breathing as it began to slow down. Quietly, her voice sounded to him. "Did it...um..."

Her nervous hesitation wasn't unexpected at all, and Link did know what she was trying to ask. "Feel good?"

Slowly, she nodded, "Yes."

Taking a deep breath, Link shook his head no. The movement made her frown in confusion when she looked up at him, watching him turn his face to her and slowly shake his head down at her as he said, "No, it felt much better than good, Zelda." After telling her that, he put his hand on her cheek and watched her closing her eyes, adding on a soft murmur, "I want to show you how it feels, if you'll let me."

She'd trembled over the thought, her breath picking up again while her cheeks flushed, almost wanting to argue over it somehow, but she also didn't want to deny him something he wanted.

Feeling the tremble she'd made, Link leaned into her ear and soothed her with the words, "Don't be scared, love, trust me." After all, he wasn't going to be the only one to feel the way she'd made him feel.

She could feel her skirt rising up, and she whispered his name out breathlessly, saying, "I do trust you, I just," she took a deep breath and stopped speaking when her skirt reached her hips, his warm hand moving along her skin. She buried her face into the crook of his neck with a whimper, and he held her tightly with one arm to make her feel more secure, very careful about moving slowly so he wouldn't scare her. As his fingers traced her smooth skin, around the top of her thigh, he found that she was squeezing her legs together tightly around his left leg wedged between them, and he rubbed the back of her neck gently with his fingers, trying to make her relax.

She felt the top of his fingers coming to rest against the v at the junction of her thighs, and the warmth sent a shock through her that made her squeeze her eyes shut, his name sounding when he pressed them further between her legs. Why was it so maddening? Had she really done this same thing to him just a few moments beforehand?

"Shush," she heard him murmur against her ear, and she couldn't stop squirming, though the movements were slight. She was in complete and utter shock over it, and while she was mortified more than she'd ever been, even though she somehow managed to realize he had only lifted her skirt high enough that he could slip his hand between her legs, returning the modesty she'd wanted to give him. But she couldn't even consider it, finding the sensations to be the most heated and pleasurable she'd ever felt before in her life.

But the real jolt didn't come until she felt his fingers pressing down against her and between her slit in slow circles. That's when she let a sharp cry against his ear, and the sound was one of the sweetest Link thought he'd ever heard. Her back arched, and he tightened his hold on her as he continued searching between her thighs, finding the pool of wetness he'd created and using it against her, slowly circling the most sensitive area on her entire body.

When she almost let another cry, he covered her mouth with his to keep the sounds from escaping the room, and felt her hips rocking on instinct against his stroking fingers as she moaned into his mouth loudly. She didn't want it to stop, and while she didn't have enough mind to notice the sudden change in her attitude, going from wanting to tell him not to worry about her all the way to not wanting him to stop, she just knew she couldn't help herself. It felt so good, his hand felt somehow huge between her thighs, but even that seemed to be pleasurable, and she told him so, breaking her lips away from his as if she felt like she couldn't concentrate on the kiss anymore.

"Don't stop, Link! Please..."

Her voice had been whispered because she'd realized she'd been a bit too loud before - not that she'd been able to help it - and he watched her though a heavily lidded gaze as she reacted to him, became much more uninhibited than before. She was nothing but gorgeous, every inch of her, and he honestly felt unworthy of such beauty, but damned if he was going to let go of her because of that.

"I won't, love," he murmured out to her, absolutely loving how she was reacting to him, watching every bit of it like a drunk would've watched his mug being filled with ale, telling her, "part your thighs a little more."

She did so without even realizing it, her heart pounding, and when her thighs spread open more, he let his fingers search against her a good bit faster. Zelda gripped his shoulder when he did and pressed her forehead to his, the pleasure sending her spiraling out of control in a way she'd never experienced before. It burned and throbbed between her thighs, and it scared her, not knowing what to expect. He kept slowing down and speeding up again, making her writhe against him and she couldn't stop herself from telling him she didn't know what to do, why she felt something rising in her, or what it was.

"Link, it's...so hot...," she gasped out, her muscles clenching just before a wave of pleasure exploded inside of her, sending her into a hard orgasm she hadn't expected while she exclaimed, "I don't...ahh!"

"Shush," he drew out, seeing her harsh jerk, and feeling her muscles tensing against his exploiting fingers, "relax love," he groaned, "so beautiful."

Zelda could barely hear him, making another innocent cry she didn't realize she'd made as the waves hit down on her like a hammer, only to find her mouth covered once again, his tongue thrusting in to find hers and rub hotly against it. As the intense waves of pleasure made her squirm against him while he kissed her so deeply, Link anchored her into one place tightly until it finally started dying down.

In the aftermath, she found herself shaking and clinging to him tightly, letting him pull her over on top of himself, kissing her hotly. Zelda felt as limp as a doll, clinging to him when she settled over him, felt as though she couldn't get close enough to him, and in his own worked up state from watching her, he rubbed his hands across her back and kissed her soothingly, trying to get her to calm down from the aftermath of the heated release he'd just given her.

"Link," she whimpered between kisses, feeling tears rolling down her cheeks that she hadn't known she'd shed. She held onto him tightly, and remembered what they'd talked about once, in Misty Falls, when she found out he did in fact have some experience, ironically enough, under his belt. He'd said the experience had been satisfying, and she didn't get it.

Now she did.

She wanted to speak to him, kept trying to get out the words to say, but she had no idea what they were. Of course just being with him felt good in itself, but at the same time, she also didn't want any of it to stop. Maybe that was what he'd meant, about it not being so easy to stop, but despite the fact that she knew she had to now, even if she wanted this to go on, she also didn't regret doing this with him one bit.

Wrapping his arms around her back, Link considered his own thoughts over it. He didn't regret it either. While he realized he'd pushed for them not to do this just yet, he still wasn't unhappy they had. He felt so completely comfortable now while he rubbed his hands up and down her back slowly that he knew he'd fall asleep soon. But before that, he whispered, "Do you regret it?"

"No," she replied, her face against his shoulder, his cheek resting against his temple. "Not at all. I love you."

"I love you too," he replied, hearing a sniffled, and it made his eyes open, though he didn't move. "Are you crying?"

"Yes," she whispered out, "but only because I just," she paused for breath, "didn't think it was that intense."

The words made him smile. Stilling his fingers against her back, he turned his head just a little to kiss her temple before resting it against the pillow again, then had a thought which made him grin. "Zelda?"

"Hmm?"

"Is it past midnight?"

"Close I think. Why, you don't...," she trailed off, looking up at his face in the dimly lit room, "want me to leave now, do you?"

His grin faded and he shook his head no. "Of course not. I just wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"The happy birthday."

Spying the grin on his face through the light of the candle sitting on the bedside, Zelda blushed and tilted her head down, whining, "Link! I didn't even think about that!"

He was going to tease her for the rest of her days now. Suddenly, Zelda wondered if she _should_ regret it, though she knew she never would regardless. He was chuckling softly, though it was laced with a yawn, before he told her, "Don't worry, I'm not going to pick on you. I just hope we do this again next year."

"You're picking on me now," she drew out blandly.

"I'm not picking," he said earnestly, tilting his head so he could say against her ear, "I honestly hope that next year, we can do much more than just this."

It made her heart skip a beat to think of. As curious as she'd been tonight, the full act still overwhelmed her to think of, and she started getting curious about whether or not it would be even better than what they'd done now. But she pushed the thought out of her head and whispered his name on a breathless voice. In those few moments alone with him, as the grogginess started taking over her, she thought about other things instead.

She felt as if she knew exactly where she wanted her life to go once all of their troubles had been taken care of. She wanted it to go with him, wherever he went, and as romantic as the notion was, she would find a way to make it happen. Her heart started calming down with the pleasant thought, and her breathing became much more even, relaxing against him completely.

"I love you," she told him in the quiet darkness of the dimly lit room, felt him pulling the covers over them both. Somehow she was completely comfortable, even though she still wore her boots, and didn't want to move, knowing that if she did, it wouldn't be to leave.

"I love you too," she heard his reply, making her feel even more comfortably settled, drifting off without even realizing it.

As she fell asleep, Link let his eyes open and he watched her. He was close to sleep himself, but he just wanted to stare at her serene face in the firelight of the single candle for a few minutes before he did. She'd been curious, and giving, like she always was. He couldn't wait until they were in a better position to show her more, to really be able to give to her the way he wanted to, show her more, especially how much he loved her.

It was his last thought before he fell into a deep sleep.


	51. Assembly

_Chapter 50 - Assembly_

"River Town must be protected."

Dorrel had stated the words, standing in the meeting room with the other members of the revolt. They were meeting to discuss the further protection of Hyrule, and what they should do after that had been taken care of. Not long after he'd spoken, the doors opened and Zelda stepped into the room. She'd said she was going to be just a slight bit late, the message passed on through Bessa who'd told Lyonel.

Some people had nodded in agreement to what Dorrel had spoken, though some shook their heads, but when the doors opened, they all turned to stand up as Zelda entered the room.

"Your Majesty, good morning. I trust you slept well?" Dorrel greeted the royal.

Zelda didn't really want to consider the reason she'd slept so well, otherwise she knew she'd end up blushing again for the millionth time that day. She had already done so when she'd first awoken, still in Link's arms, and saw him watching her sleeping. As soon as reality came crashing back to her, the memories of how intimate they'd been the night before and seeing hi now in broad daylight, she'd meekly bowed her head, and heard him snickering over the movement, prompting her to scold him for laughing at her embarrassment.

Link told her he hadn't been laughing at her, just over the difference between her demeanor the night before and the way she was acting now that she was seeing him after what they'd done together.

She immediately told him flat out to shut up, and not to mention the previous evening, which only made him chuckle even more.

Zelda had sat up after that though she was so embarrassed because she knew she had to go back to her room, only to find herself caught in a good morning kiss with him before she blushed again and turned her head. It wasn't that she didn't want to kiss him, not at all, she just didn't realize how the thoughts of the night's activities would invade the daylight and make her feel so embarrassed. She honestly felt like looking at him was somehow shameful even though she wasn't ashamed of what she'd done. Maybe it was natural in some way, and while she told Link how she felt, she'd suddenly remembered the meeting and stood up quickly, trying to get her clothes back into place.

Her sudden determination to leave confused Link until she explained it to him, and he didn't even have to ask to come. Instead, she told him flat out she wanted him to, had forgotten to mention it with everything that went on the evening before during his party and then, of course, afterwards. So he'd gotten dressed, and even donned his equipment like he'd been wanting to, feeling good enough because of her magic to wear it once again. They'd left his room, and he helped her sneak back into her own where she could get properly dressed and no one would notice she'd been missing.

Thankfully they hadn't been spotted, and Zelda was visited by Bessa while Link was waiting outside of her door. He let Bessa know she was getting dressed, and the older lady went to pass on his message that Zelda would be tardy to the meeting because she'd slept in. When she was ready, she left to head to the meeting room with him, the same one where the Myriad Stone was located.

Pushing the thoughts from her head completely once she'd arrived there and had been greeted, she told Dorrel the truth, that she'd slept well, and let Link walk into the room behind her before shutting the door. Everyone that was of significance whom fought for the revolt was there. Dorrel, Lyonel, Impa, Arden, Olnor, Betarro, and Tenio, among a few others as well. They all nodded when they saw Link, seated around the large ovular table in the room, greeting him along with Zelda, and Link went to walk over to an empty seat to sit down at while Zelda headed toward the chair at the head of the room that had Lyonel and Impa on her opposing sides.

"I'm sorry we're late. I was trying to talk Link out of wearing his equipment for a little while longer, but I think he's just anxious to get back into a fight," she told them as she sat down, smiling and nodding her head to them all.

They chuckled softly as they all began to take their seats once more, and Olnor, sitting next to Link, gave him a grin and replied, "It's just because he's a real man."

More laughter followed the words, and Zelda grinned, somehow finding herself even more embarrassed however by the thought of the secret she and Link were keeping about the night before with the mention of him being a real man, and she wasn't sure exactly why. But she did have one thing to tell them that happened, and gladly did so considering it would get her mind off of the intimacies she and Link had shared.

"The is a reason he's feeling so much better now. As it turns out, the Dark Power used to injure him has died away enough that I can now help to heal him with my own powers."

After she said this, some glanced over at him, and he added to it, "They're not completely gone, but a few more of her treatments, and I'm sure they will be."

"It's good to hear," Tenio said, drawing a nod of gratitude from his fellow Hylian seated across from him before they both turned to look back at Zelda, seeing that she was readying herself for the conversation they were going to have to begin as she folded her hands on top of the table.

"So, where were we in the discussion?" She asked in order to get herself and Link caught up on the events.

Being his job, Dorrel began to inform her, "We were just discussing the protection of River Town. As far as we know, it's the last village left standing which is still inhabited. All of the others are deserted, and the ones that aren't destroyed, that we know of, are Kakariko, Roshala, Cottesmoore, and Shallomire. We've also heard rumor that there was an attempted invasion of the Goron City, but we don't know for sure. I say that River Town needs to be protected, in order to preserve as much of the old kingdom as possible, but others don't agree with me."

"What are the arguments against protecting it?"

"We were just getting to that when you came in, your highness," Dorrel replied respectfully, looking at everyone else before adding, "So let's discuss this now."

It was Tenio whom made the first argument, and he lifted a hand in order to be recognized, beginning, "I think it would be better to evacuate the town, in order to protect the people. Their lives are more valuable than the structures they live in. Most of the people in the town have heard rumors as well, so the chances are that they're flee soon and put themselves into more danger anyway."

Having stated his argument, he bowed his head to his Princess, allowing her to think his words over before she replied, "That's a good point, Tenio. Does anyone else have anything to add to it?"

Betarro spoke up now that the discussion had been started, asking, "Evacuate them to where, Tenio? We're still not even certain of safe passage through the fields, and the outpost in the canyons is almost full now. Without some type of tactical advantage in order to navigate our way, we can't take them anywhere unless it were to Zora's Domain since we know that travel across Lake Hylia would probably be safe. But that's more than likely not an option considering the Zora's have separated themselves from the rest of the Kingdom."

Link listened to everything himself while they discussed it, coming up with his own thoughts over the matter, but he didn't speak them until he'd heard more. It was at that time that Zelda spoke, "I do have a good relation with Queen Majalyn of the Zora, Betarro, but I would not impose on her. Zora's Domain would be, at this point in time, the only place we could invariably evacuate them to. However, Betarro is right, this is not the right point in time to ask for their help on such a scale. On the same token, Tenio is right, and the villagers may flee to save their lives, only to leap into a fire if something is not done."

Olnor began once the words were spoken, "They know of the revolt, but most are unaware that we reside so close to them, and could protect them if need be. If those fears are waylaid with the knowledge that protection is close at hand, it should keep them calm."

Most of the people seemed to agree with that stipulation, nodding over it, but it was in that instance that they noticed Arden shaking his head. The one simple movement from the former soldier of Hyrule got everyone's attention almost immediately, because, and even though he'd been to most of their meetings since his arrival, Arden had yet to ever make much of a comment. So most of the members in the meeting now were surprised and curious as to what he would say.

Arden didn't speak up too often because he got the feeling that several mistrusted him due to serving their enemy for so long, but he didn't want to hold his tongue any longer when he knew he had something worthwhile to say. "You're really wasting your time worrying about this. The real problem here is what we're focusing on. The protection of one small town versus an entire Kingdom. It's understandable that many lives have already been lost, so preservation is important, but that will only be accomplished when we look at what we need to look at."

For just a moment, everyone was quiet, considering the words before a question was asked, the words coming from Tenio who was down about three seats away from the former Captain. "What would that be?"

Arden turned his head in Tenio's general direction and informed him, "That would be Ganondorf's indifference. You seem to think River Town will be a target for him to begin with, or any other town left in Hyrule. Allow me to give everyone a little insight. Ganondorf doesn't care about towns, villages, or even the Palace he resides in, nor does he care for this Kingdom. Those villages he _did_ destroy were random, and all of that destruction was directed at one purpose," he looked over at Zelda, telling her, "getting what you and Link possess, the other two halves of the Triforce."

Everyone stayed silent, and being the first meeting that Arden had said anything of his former king in, they listened carefully. Arden continued after a moment, "He let Link live. I can tell you this wasn't some miracle on Link's part. As much as I've started to have faith in the kid's abilities, I know for a fact that Ganondorf went easy on him, and the reason was that he wanted Zelda to feel helpless when he sent Link back here crippled and unable to do anything without feeling pain in response to it. So what you need to worry about now is your ability to fight back, because that's the only way you'll preserve anything."

"You've stayed silent until now," Betarro spoke up from across the table, his voice serious and somewhat suspicious, "so why are you suddenly telling us all of this?"

Arden had incorporated himself into the revolt with a good bit of ease due to his rescue of Link, and no one looked down on him at all. So Betarro's words, while suspicious, weren't meant to be offensive, but instead, protective. In any matter, Arden wasn't offended anyway, because he understood the need they all had to trust him, and he also understood his own need to not only make up for his mistakes, but to also help bring down the one who'd, and almost symbolically, blinded him for ten years of sightless service.

So Arden gave Betarro his response, "Because I knew you would all have trouble trusting me. To be honest, I'm surprised any of you have, but I am appreciative of it despite my own disbelief."

Betarro still didn't look very relieved, but his attention was grabbed by Zelda along with everyone else. "Arden has to be forgiven. If he's not, then we don't need to be here."

The words surprised all of them as the Princess kept her head bowed forward in thought. Dorrel was the one to ask, "Why is that, your majesty?"

"Because we have all sinned. How many here had lost faith?" She looked up, glancing at several people, letting her question settle in their heads before she continued on. "The story went that, when the Myriad Stones stopped working, everyone thought that they'd been abandoned by their Sages and leaders, and would not act until the Stones reawakened, the telling sign that the Hero had come to save them from the turmoil they themselves allowed to brew in the Kingdom by not acting sooner. These words are not an attempt to cast judgement on any of you here, as we were all lied to, confused, and misunderstood what had happened. Still, Arden is just as flawed, or as perfected, as any of us, and he was lied to as much as we all were. To be unable to forgive him and listen now would be to never forgive or listen to ourselves again, and never move on to the new kingdom we're trying to erect."

Slowly, many people in the room started looking at one another in thought, realizing that the Princess was right. They had to let go of what had happened, no longer hold grudges over things that had happened before, and look to what was coming instead. With her words, Dorrel started in light of them, "Then if that's the case, Arden, why didn't he just abduct Link to the Palace so that Zelda might attempt to rescue him?"

Arden scoffed as if he knew exactly what to say, but Link spoke before he could offer a response. "Because he wanted me to deliver a message to Zelda, he wanted me to show her how vulnerable she really is. Even still," Link added, having gotten everyone's attention, "I know Arden's right. All Ganondorf wants is power. River Town doesn't pose a threat to him, and neither do any of us. As far as he's concerned, we're all ants at a picnic. Just an inconvenience."

"That's a good way to put it," Arden muttered out blandly as if he really couldn't care more for the thought. A soft bit of chattering began in the room once the words had been spoken, though it was far from loud enough to be distracting.

"Arden," Zelda asked once she'd gotten her own thoughts in order, "is there any opinion you have over what we should do concerning the protection of the town? I realize he may not be interested, but the people there are still becoming afraid, and if they run out into his path, he will trample them."

Arden tilted his head, then he shrugged, "Send guards out if you want, let them all know they're being protected, that way we'll see trouble coming here if it does at the same time and kill two birds with one stone."

Zelda nodded, "Then that's what we'll do for now, and put the rest of our effort into observation and training the soldiers we've gathered."

"That is a sound judgement," Lyonel spoke finally, and he looked about for anyone to disagree, but no one did. When everyone nodded, he then continued, "I think the next topic would be your and Link's absence from this place and our steps to take once you're gone."

"Their absence?," Olnor asked in some slight confusion.

With a nod, Lyonel replied, "Yes, they have more to do on their journey. I think we keep forgetting that they're not here permanently to stay. They're only here until Link recovers from his wounds and is able to continue his on his quest, which will be soon now if Zelda's magic can treat him. He'd already donned his gear after all, and every one knows you only do so once you're ready to fight again."

"Ah," Olnor nodded, "good point. In that case, we do have much to discuss."

Zelda, as they spoke, looked down at her hands, and since she wasn't wearing any gloves in that particular moment, the Triforce symbol on the back of her left was clearly visible. She balled her fingers into a fist as she stared at the mark of the sacred relic, and then looked back up, over at Link. He'd been staring off into thought for a moment, but happened to glance up and catch her gaze.

For just a moment, he considered her demeanor here, how he'd been right about the capable leader she'd become, listening to them and coming up with solutions to their problems. He held her gaze for a moment and then offered her a very small smile, one she noticed but no one else really did, and she glanced down before she asked him a question.

"Lin, what do you think they should do once we leave?"

Link, having not really expected the question, though he didn't mind being asked, said casually, "I think putting effort into offense, some kind of plan for action in case one is needed, would be the best thing for them to think of. After all, nothing more can really be done in the lines of defense as long as the two of us are doing what we need to."

Everyone seemed to agree, the chattering kept down to a minimum, and at the same time, Zelda also agreed, adding more to everyone than just to Link himself, "From talks with Myriad, I know that our next step will lead us to the Spirit Temple more than likely, though Link and I have yet to discuss this with her properly."

"You should do so now, your highness," Impa suggested, "so that we can all have her consultation."

The Stone in the room that would allow them to contact the Sage was within reach of Zelda's hand, and looking over at it, she considered something. The fact that her parents were truly alive should be discussed with the Sage of Light as well, but she couldn't do so in front of so many people without the word getting out, and very quickly. So she had to dismiss a few first before the conversation could continue.

"Actually," she started, "I'd like to ask some people to take a short recess," Zelda told them, looking back at everyone. "I have and important matter to discuss with only a few whom it concerns, so if I could, I'd like to ask all but Link, Impa, Lyonel, and Arden to stay."

Everyone who's name hadn't been called nodded their heads respectfully toward their Princess, standing in order to dismiss themselves. Waiting for them to go, watching as, with newer seats available, Link stood up in order to go sit next to his father, Zelda only continued speaking once the doors had shut and there was no one left lingering about beyond them.

Once Link had settled himself, Impa looked over at the Princess and asked her, "So what is it that needs to be discussed so privately, my lady?"

Zelda, lowering her head both in thought over the matter as well as how she felt about it, said softly, "This is hard for me to say without becoming emotional."

Link, knowing it would be easier if he told what she was going to speak of, stopped her, saying, "Let me tell them, Zelda. I was the one who was informed to begin with."

Impa looked over at him as Lyonel turned to see what Link would say, and Arden placed his arm on the table in order to lean against it while he listened. With their attentions, and Zelda's nod for him to go ahead, Link started, "There's only two others who know of this as far as I'm sure, Jada and Nissa. It's something Ganondorf told me the evening I faced him. He said that King Hadinaru and Queen Nissandra are both still alive, in a deep slumber, held within the Palace. He told me Dragmire kept them alive because he'd learned that their daughter had survived the child swapping he'd performed ten years earlier, and doing so would give his son some kind of leverage over the Princess's head so that he could keep the throne if he needed to use it."

They all stared somewhat blankly at Link. Silence ensued the news, as if none of them had expected to hear it. Zelda risked a glance at them to see that they were all quietly considering the surprise, and Impa was the first to comment, finally looking over at Link before she did so.

"Do you think he could have been lying in order to draw her out."

"No," Link shook his head, "I know he was telling the truth. He didn't have to lie, not about that. He wanted me to inform Zelda of this so she might go after her parents without our realizing it, falling directly into his hands. Or, as he said, if I didn't tell her, he thought that perhaps she would become bitter once she learned the truth because I had kept the secret the entire time, which would create friction and cause us to fail in what we're trying to accomplish. So the most important fact is to not tell a single soul about this. Zelda's ignorance is the only thing keeping her safe right now."

"He's right," came Arden's voice, and they looked over at him. "Don't get me wrong, I had no idea the king and queen were still alive, but I do know that he wouldn't waste his time lying about something like that when he already believes so strongly that the both of them will inevitably come to him anyway. This was just another method of getting what he wants sooner."

Impa had taken a deep breath, thinking of the king and queen, in a perpetual slumber until they could be awakened, and her face showed that she was upset over the news. She looked over at Zelda who had her head bowed in deep thought. As she did, placing a hand onto her pupil's shoulder, Zelda looked up, and gave Impa a tiny smile, letting her know that she was alright. Lyonel spoke while they did this, drawing their attention.

"If this is the case, then I believe we have another problem on our hands. We can't just ignore you, after all, you served Ganondorf for ten years."

"Let's not mention that again," Arden grumbled out.

Unable to help a small smirk, Lyonel went on, "Well, you know him better than the rest of us. We'd be fools not to listen. So now we have to figure out how we still accomplish what we've set out to, as well as how to save them, all while keeping this a secret."

"I think," Zelda began, "that it's time to speak with Myriad and see if she has anything in particular to say to us."

"I agree," Link commented, and he watched Zelda turn to place her hand on the Stone with the other three's agreement.

The magical item came to life as her fingers touched it, and as the connection darkened the room around them, linking them to the Sage of Light, Zelda spoke, "Myriad, we're in need of your guidance."

Myriad's voice sounded in reply, "Speak your concerns, my Princess. I am listening."

With a nod, Zelda began, "You have five listeners now. Myself, your son, Impa, Lyonel, and Arden. We've been discussing news that has been passed onto us from Link's engagement with Ganondorf two weeks ago that my parents are still alive in a perpetual sleep."

Quietly, they waited for Myriad's reply. "I had felt you would be speaking to me of this soon, as Link convened with me but a day ago in order to ask my advice on whether or not he should tell you. He was right in believing that your ignorance would protect you, as is the reason I never spoke of it. Ganondorf informed me not long after my awakening that he had them alive, to use in order to insure your arrival to him."

Zelda replied to the words, "We've discussed as much, and have decided it wisest not to inform anyone but the three with us here."

"That is truly the best plan of action. As much as it pains me to state this, Princess Zelda, your parents lives hang by a thread now. Ganondorf's arrogance leads him to believe that he does not even need them in order to secure your half of the Triforce for his own. But he will not kill them as long as he is under the assumption that you are oblivious to his leverage. For now, they should be safe in their slumber, as I was in mine. But now it is time to reveal more of Ganondorf's desires to you all, so please listen well."

Everyone took note of that and awaited what Myriad would say. After a moment had passed, she waylaid the information to them that she had.

"The Triforce of Power is not the strongest despite it's name. All have equal value in power, but separated, lack traits the others may possess. Dragmire used the Triforce of Power, as you all know, to seal me inside of the Sacred Realm. I reinforced those bonds with my own power, however not even my power can stand up to that of the Triforce, especially not when assembled into one."

This posed a question, and Zelda was the first to ask it. "Wait, if it doesn't, then why, once Dragmire realized that he'd sealed away what he wanted, which was your power, didn't he use his half of the Triforce to break the seal he'd placed upon you and the Sacred Realm? You're right, he should have been strong enough to do so."

They all looked a little confused, except for Lyonel, whom already knew the answer. But Myriad informed the ones who didn't, "I'm glad you asked this, my lady. The answer is simple. The Triforce grants the user that which he or she wants the most. It may take years to manifest itself, but eventually, the Triforce will hand its possessor that which he or she desires."

Impa looked over at the Stone Zelda touched thoughtfully, waving a hand as she said, "Dragmire wanted the other two halves of the Triforce more than he wanted your power, like his son now does. So Ganondorf cannot break the seal his father created, just as Dragmire couldn't, without the other two pieces in his possession."

"Precisely," Myriad responded. "His desire for an assembled Triforce was, as his son's now is, so great that he cannot undo that which he had already done."

Zelda looked over at Link, who'd taken on a serious expression, and seeing her glance, he took in a breath. "Then when we complete our next step, and go to face him, we'll bring him what he wants regardless. There has to be some way to avoid it."

"That, Link, is why you need to go to the Gerudo Desert where the Spirit Temple awaits you. He still controls the essences of Spirit and Shadow, and once unleashed, you will have all of the Sage Powers aiding you, as well as both of your Triforces. This will be an even fight, unlike what was presented to you before. The grounds will be much more even."

"The essences will be a powerful ally," Impa began, "but all of that power clashing together in battle sounds fairly devastating."

"But it's better that not all of it falls into Ganondorf's hands," Lyonel brought up. "At there will be some semblance of balance there."

Nodding over this, they knew there really was nothing else left to be done. "Then now we should leave to head to the Gerudo Desert?," Zelda asked.

"Yes. The first step is reaching it. However, with Link's experience, I'm certain you'll find no trouble amongst the inhabitants as they do tend to defend their home and the surrounding areas unforgivingly."

With a thoughtful smirk, Link spoke from experience, "That they do. This will make the trip much easier since so much else has gone wrong."

"Indeed it will," Myriad agreed. "My last offering of information to you is this. A new Sage has arisen in the wake of your efforts to free the consumed essences. He is the Sage of Fire, and Magistrate of the Goron City, Kioson."

With the mention of the name, Link and Zelda exchanged a somewhat surprised glance, remembering their wedding farce under the new Sage of Fire's ministry all too well. Simultaneously, both of them hoped that Kioson hadn't breathed a word of that to anyone. They themselves surely weren't going to mention it now.

"So, we will be able to contact him through the Stones as well?," Impa asked, oblivious to what Link and Zelda had been thinking.

"Kioson has convened with me, and he told me that recently, Ganondorf's Jackal Knights attempted to invade their city, but they were not successful. In light of this event, he has decided not to allow contact through the stones, save a calling to arms from my husband should the need arise, or to give aide to Zelda and Link whenever they may need it."

Hearing the words, Lyonel knew what that meant. Kioson was ready to aide in battle against Ganondorf, and they all knew that the help of the Golem Race would indeed be useful. "Then Ganondorf made a mistake in trying to attack their city."

Arden pursed his lips. Something didn't seem right. "I don't know if Ganondorf did that intentionally. After all, these knights apparently roam at will. They could have been stalking, hunting prey."

"This is true," Myriad spoke, "but for whatever the reason the Goron's were attacked, it could indeed work in our favor."

Arden nodded, and Impa looked over at him, saying, "We should go find the others to return here so this can be discussed. After all, it does give us some strong reinforcement to know that the Gorons want to aide us however they can."

With a nod of his head, Arden stood to go with Impa in order to do so. With Lyonel, Link, and Zelda watching them go, Zelda looked back at the stone and asked Myriad one final question once they were gone. "Should we leave for the Spirit Temple immediately in the meantime?"

"You should. Not in haste, however, as safety is a necessity. Still, leaving now would increase the likelihood of Hyrule's restoration."

Taking the information in and considering that Myriad was right, Zelda left her hand upon the Stone incase more needed to be spoken that someone else had to say, and when she did, Link asked, "Mother?"

Hearing the words, Zelda and Lyonel looked at Link, seeing that he had a serious expression on his face. "Yes, Link?"

"Have you heard anything from that shadow of me lately?"

Zelda had nearly forgotten about him, though she knew she'd never completely forget, thinking it somehow symbolic that she had such a deep seated loathing for a mirror of the one she loved so much. When she considered it, she remembered the words that the dark mimicry had spoken to her, that he had the same feelings and interests for her as Link did. The memory, especially now after the intimate events of the evening before, made Zelda's skin crawl. It also scared her a little. What might happen in the future if she somehow got stuck alone with the dark shadow?

She really hoped he'd somehow been killed already, but on the same hand, she knew she just wasn't that fortunate.

"No, I have not," Myriad replied, "but if I do, I shall keep in mind what he says to me."

That was all Link needed to know, and as Zelda, he hoped the same thing of his evil half. But Link got the most innate feeling that he would be seeing his mirror again sometime very soon now. He just hoped that when he did see him again, he could end the bastard's existence once and for all now.

With the conversation finished, Myriad gave them her blessings, and they stood up. Knowing it was time to leave, Zelda began to plan for their safest means of travel, trying to remember paths that would take them both safely to the Gerudo Desert, but before she could come up with anything solid and speak at all, Lyonel told them something.

"I want you two to take your time getting things together and saying your goodbyes. I have a much faster means of travel for you both to take that will save you time, so rushing isn't important. Just come to find me when you're both ready to go."

Watching him turn to leave, Link narrowed a brow and asked, "What is it, Father?"

Stopping at the door, Lyonel glanced back from beneath his hood, and said, "Just have your flute handy."

With those words, he shut the door, leaving Link and Zelda alone once again. Turning, he looked over to see that Zelda had come around the side of the table and stepped toward him, a look of thoughtfulness on her face. "Well, we'll definitely have to say our goodbyes to a lot of people."

She nodded, but stayed quiet, and with the expression on her face, Link became a bit concerned, placing his hand on her arm. "What's wrong, Zelda?"

With a short, soft sigh of breath, Zelda frowned and told him, "When you mentioned the shadow of yourself, I just," she clutched her purple skirts in her hands a bit more tightly and added, "I thought about last night, and remembered how he'd said he felt the same way you do. It just made me a little sick feeling, that's all."

Link hadn't forgotten about that fact himself, and he suddenly felt a good bit of anger, knowing that if his dark half felt the same way toward Zelda that Link did, especially after those feelings had grown so much since their time spent in Engleton before it was destroyed, then the dark half would have to be specifically looked out for. There was no telling what he might've been capable of, and Link moved closer to her, placing his hand beneath her chin to lift her face to his.

"Don't worry about him, Zelda. I'm not going to let him hurt you."

"I know that," she nodded, smiling a bit. "I just don't like the implications is all."

"Neither do I," he responded, leaning down to kiss her gently and briefly. Once the short kiss was over, he added, "Just think about where we're going for now. I'll get to show you around," he smiled.

With the words, Zelda really considered that they were going to his home, the place he'd done most of his growing up, and it did prick her interests. With a smile, she stepped next to him and put her arm in his formally, telling him, "That would be nice. I _have_ been curious about it."

"You're curious about a lot of things."

"_Link_!" She gasped out, turning her face down with a beet red blush on it, smacking his arm lightly, "You're just being mean."

"I'm sorry," he apologized, even though he was smiling, moving along to the door with her as she hid her face. "I couldn't help it, it was a good set up. I'll just make it up to you."

"How's that?"

Reaching the door, he leaned in and said against her ear, "I'll get you some of the chocolate at the bakery in River Town before we go."

The way his voice sounded and felt against her ear made her a little dizzy, and she leaned up into him just a little, not really angry over his picking, just embarrassed by it. But the way he'd told her what he'd do to make up for it had the desired effect, and before he opened the door, he kissed her ear and then pulled it to. She smiled over the notion of getting chocolate as well when they stepped out into the hallway, finally looking back up at him as she shook her head, "I still say you're impossible sometimes."

"Impossibly charming," he amended, grinning arrogantly as they walked on.

---

Link drew Epona along behind him as he, Lyonel, and Zelda walked across the flat top of the large rock wall that was the peak of the outpost housing the revolt. It was a bit later in the day and the snows had stopped falling, but the wind was whipping about, blowing what was left of the snow as they walked through it around them in gusts here and there. The skies were grey and gloomy, and in the distance from their high vantage point, they could see Lake Hylia, and to the right of their prospective, in the further distance, darker clouds filled with lighting could be seen, signaling the location of the Palace of Hyrule.

Link tried not to look at it as he stepped in behind his father with his hand on Epona's reigns, the chaotic clouds a reminder to him of how bad things had gotten in the kingdom. Instead, he looked ahead to the edge of the cliff while they walked toward it, where Lyonel was leading them both, and while they went, Epona nuzzled his shoulder with her nose. She'd been hitting it affectionately a few times every now and then as if she'd missed him, and he kept grinning back at her, telling her to knock it off quietly or his lady would get jealous.

Zelda was smiling over the situation, glad for it, since it distracted her from the sight of the dark clouds in the distance as well. But nevertheless, her eyes caught sight of the storms, and she had to stop walking for a moment, just staring at them. They were looming, foreboding in their chaos, reminding her of where her parents were held, where her and Link's fates awaited them. She took a deep breath in thought over it, when she heard Lyonel's voice.

"My lady?"

Looking over, she saw Link stopping when Lyonel had said the words, looking toward her, and she got her mind back on the present again. "Sorry," she replied, moving toward the two of them with Frost behind her, a somehow fitting name considering the snow they were walking through.

As they came to the edge of the cliff, Link asked her, "Are you alright?"

She nodded, giving him a smile. "Yes, I just shouldn't have stared and thought so deeply. It distracted me, that's all."

Appeased by the comment, he nodded and looked over at Lyonel, watching the man as he used the shovel he'd brought to push away the snow. It didn't take long, since the snow wasn't that deep, and once he was done, the clearing of the white had revealed a stone marker laying flat across the ground with the symbol of the Triforce on it and that of bars spread out like wings beneath it.

Once Lyonel stood up, a strong wind gusted over them all, making Zelda lift an arm as snow threatened to get into her eyes, and when she looked back, she saw that the wind had blown Lyonel's hood off of his head. She expected to see him try to replace it, but he didn't, which surprised her, and Link as well. Instead, he simply motioned to the marker.

"This is one of three remaining teleporting stones in Hyrule, set up by the Zora originally as a pact between our people and theirs. It takes a certain power to use them, and not many can anymore."

Turning to look back, able to see his full face now, Zelda and Link both couldn't help but notice, aside from the scar and his disfigured ear, that he did look a good bit like Link might look whenever he got older, except that his hair was a much lighter shade of blonde and his eyes were a sky blue. His hair was also longer in the back than his sons, tied at the nape of his neck into a neat ponytail, a few strands loose around his face at the crown of his head, and he appeared to be very dignified in nature if you were to simply look at him without paying any attention to the scar.

"You'll have to use the flute, Link. Just play it while thinking of where you want to go. The stone will deliver you to the nearest marker to that location. There is one in the Gerudo Dessert, I'm not sure if you know of it though."

Link nodded his head, knowing his reply before Lyonel had even finished, "Actually, I was going to say I've seen one before. But it's fairly close to the border of the desert and the plains that lead into Hyrule Field. Still, it will take much less time to go this way than all the way through the ravine and past Misty Falls again."

"Good, then you'll know the way to the Gerudo Valley from there."

Link nodded his head, knowing all too well how to get to their destination from the marker Lyonel had spoken of. The very reason he and Zelda hadn't dressed as warmly as someone in the snow should have was because their destination was going to be a good bit warmer. But they were well equipped for the ride, and Lyonel nodded his head to them. "Then now it's time to say our goodbyes."

For a good bit of the day, the two of them had been doing so. Everyone had expressed that they would be missed, but they were also glad that Link was well enough now to continue on his journey with the Princess, anxious for things to return to normal again. Bessa had given Zelda the gown that she'd made for her along with the accessories, packed very neatly into a box that Link stored for her inside of the hammer bag since it had plenty of room.

Now it was time to say goodbye to Lyonel as well. Link looked at Zelda when Lyonel said the words, handing her the reigns to Epona. Taking them for him, he turned and went over to his father, giving Lyonel a strong hug. Lyonel, patted his son's back in the embrace and told him, "Don't worry about us. I'll keep things well in check."

With those words, he smiled down at his son, and Link replied, "I know you will. And we'll see each other again soon." He took a step back, and added something else, "But, can I ask you something before we go?"

"What's that?"

"Well," Link motioned his hand, "what _did_ happen? I mean to scar you so badly?"

Lyonel lifted a brow and sighed out his breath, not as if he were insulted that Link had asked at all, but only as if he were annoyed that whatever happened had to begin with. Turning his gaze to his son, he started, "Some of Dragmire's magic. He caught several of us off guard nearly as soon as I'd overcome Arden in battle. There was an explosion close to where I stood, and I got caught in it."

Link cringed over the explanation, knowing that had to have hurt, especially considering the damage to his ear, and the side of his face. "I suppose you're lucky to see have sight in that eye."

"Don't suppose, I am very lucky," he nodded. What they didn't know was that there were a few scars on the same side of his body as well, and he could remember taking a while to recover after the blast, but Lyonel wasn't going to mention that. Instead, he just said something that was more meaningful, "I'm lucky to have my son back too."

The comment made Link grin, giving a nod of his head before he turned and reached for Epona's reigns again. "I'll be back soon, father," he started, then considered it before he added thoughtfully, "Give me a week."

With those words, he smirked and took Epona past his father and toward the stone marker. As he went, Lyonel sighed through his nose with a pointed expression. "That's your mother talking."

Zelda grinned over the words, and she walked over to hug Lyonel. The seasoned Hylian didn't seem to mind at all, though he was highly surprised when she kissed his cheek, and as she stepped back, she noticed a similar expression in his eyes to Link's which he got whenever he was surprised, composing himself quickly however and clearing his throat. "Thank you, my lady."

Zelda snickered softly, and she stepped back, telling him, "Take care of everyone, Lyonel, and don't worry too much about us. I'll miss you while we're gone."

Nodding, Lyonel turned and stood properly, giving her a formal bow as if to take her words as a royal order. Zelda watched him, a bit of a modest expression on her face, and as he stood back up straight again, she thanked him genuinely before moving toward Link with Frost behind her. Lyonel watched them both, adding the words in a moment of final thought, "And Link?"

Once Link had turned to look back at Lyonel, his father said, "We'll have a discussion about the marriage you and Zelda went through in the Goron City later."

Both of them cringed. Apparently Kioson had let that slip to Myriad, and Link, taking on the typical attitude of a son, said, "Dad, it wasn't like that!"

Lyonel smiled at him, the expression telling Link he apparent understood and had just wanted to play the role of father before his son left. Link sighed with an amused shake of his head, turning to grab his flute as he muttered, "I guess I get my mischievousness from _you_."

Hearing the words made Lyonel genuinely laugh for the first time in what felt like forever, and he watched his son once he'd sobered up, putting the flute to his lips in order to play the tune he needed to that would transport him to the Gerudo Desert. As the melody came out of him, Lyonel watched their forms, including that of their horses, begin to disappear in a twinkling of golden light, shimmering away and into the distance.

Looking into the sky after they'd left, Lyonel smiled and took in his breath slowly. He couldn't help his thoughts over the both of them, turning around to head back inside slowly, reaching to lift his hood back over his head in doing so.

A week, he thought. Perhaps he'd hold his son to that.


	52. Jealousy

_Chapter 51 - Jealousy_

Shimmering orbs drifted quickly through the air over the plains in the late evening, swirling down and around a marker that was set at the foot of a sea of sand and rock, the marker itself fairly covered with the grainy material of the desert floor. The sky was a golden tone, somewhat cloudy but mostly clear, casting a yellow light on the orbs that formed back together again, taking the shape of Link and Zelda, as well as their horses.

Lowering the flute from his lips as he looked around, Link drew in a breath and said, "Home sweet home I guess." Just then, Epona knocked her nose against his shoulder again, and he turned a narrowed brow and pursed lips at her before rolling his eyes a little. "Knock it off already, I'm going to ride in a second."

Zelda smiled when she saw it, turning to Frost in order to mount the stallion. "I don't think Epona cares where she is, as long as you're both there."

Chuckling and placing the flute back into his hammer bag, an item which he found to be fairly useful so far, Link mounted Epona and looked over at Zelda. "What if I said I don't care where I am, as long as _you're_ there."

"Then I'd say that flattery will get you no where," she grinned, and then looked ahead. Link, moving in beside of her on Epona, somehow felt good to be back out in the open like this, as well as completely ready for what lay ahead of him now. As he came to a stop, Zelda looked over and watched him looking off into the distance for something in particular, and when he finally saw it, he nodded and started to goad Epona off into a trot.

Goading Frost off after him and curious of what he could have been looking at, she asked him, "Where are we going again?"

"Look in the distance until you see a flickering of light. That's a mirror placed atop the entrance of the Gerudo Valley. We'll have to pass through it in order to reach the Temple."

"And you said the Temple is located on the other side of the Valley and across a good walk of desert, right?"

"Yes," he nodded in response, "in an enclave of rocks and sand. I went there once."

Hearing this, Zelda tiled her head and glanced back over at him, "Did you go inside?"

"No, the entrance was barred by a seal of magic I couldn't break," he informed her before giving her a meaningful look.

"I see," she nodded slowly, looking off into the distance again to try to spot the mirror. There was a lining of rock walls in the distance, and one could have easily been placed atop it, but the dying light just made the rocky structures look black in her view, and she just waited. Nothing happened, and she shook her head at him, "Are you sure you know where we're going?"

"Of course," he told her in response, glancing over at her, "Don't you remember who was leading the caravan the day we met again?"

The question had been asked to make a point, saying that Link knew the area very well. "Yes, I remember," she told him as if she didn't want to admit it. "I trust you," she added, waving her hand, "I just don't see the light you were talking about."

"It's there," he reassured her, "wait until we get closer. The sun's about to set, so it will be harder to see until it gets lower in the sky just before it disappears."

"Alright," Zelda nodded, riding on with him and waiting like he'd said. Inevitably, she did, in fact, see the twinkling, set atop a few rock walls in the distance that led into a valley, ignoring the tumbleweed that went rolling past their horses while they traveled. She thought that was a fairly nice way of signaling to others where the valley was, something like a lighthouse to a sailor. But then again, maybe the mirror wasn't placed there to alert anyone at all, and instead, was set up as some kind of trap to travelers. After all, the Gerudo _were_ thieves, weren't they?

The two of them had begun to ride a bit harder as Zelda considered this, and the further they went, the easier she could tell where they were heading. But eventually, she noticed Link slowing down to a stop. When he did, and she pulled on her own reigns, Link told her, "Be prepared."

The sudden comment made her look around curiously, asking him, "For what?"

"I just saw their riders," he replied. "They don't recognize us yet, and they're going to try to steal our horses and take us prisoner," he snorted. "When they stop us, they'll know me."

"I hope so," she commented, "after all, you remember the last time our horses were stolen? I'd rather not be left to walk out here. Much less do I want to be imprisoned."

Link was smiling, trotting along at a decent pace on Epona's back, staying close to Zelda just incase something he hadn't considered yet happened. He knew what a good sign was though when he saw it, and when Zelda even spotted the riders coming out of hiding toward them, she glanced over as Link stated, "Apparently they know it's me now."

"Why?"

"Because we wouldn't see them if they didn't."

"You saw them before though," she pointed out.

"Only because I knew where to look."

"Show off," she rolled her eyes, then smiled at him. Link grinned over the comment, considering for a moment his knowledge of the place. The Gerudo typically liked to stick to the walls, and had learned easy ways, especially in the dying light of day, to sneak up on unsuspecting travelers, even on flat terrains where there was nothing for them to hide behind. So seeing them just riding toward him and Zelda let him know that whoever they'd sent out had recognized exactly who was coming to see them.

When the three riders got closer, he heard his name called out by a familiar voice. Drawing Epona to a stop close to them as they slowed their own paces on their horses backs, all women dressed in vivid colors and somewhat scantily at that, Link looked at the one in the middle. He'd never forget that grinning face, even when veiled as it was.

"Nabooru," he smiled, "miss me?"

Nabooru stopped her horse near them finally, removing her veil before she looked back over at him while the wind blew over them and picked up her red hair. "Link! My, my," she looked him over. "Haven't you just changed right up on us?"

"Something like that," he smirked in reply, "so, are you going to steal our horses, or are you going to let us pass?"

Chuckling, Nabooru looked back and spoke to the women with her in the Gerudo language, but it was odd to Zelda, for even as the woman spoke the words in a language she had never heard spoken before, Zelda understood what she'd said, wondering if the Triforce of Wisdom had granted her that power.

Link understood it just because he'd learned the language while living there when he was growing up, and Nabooru told the women, "Go let them know we've got visitors!"

The two Gerudo just smirked and turned around to ride off with nodded replies. When they did, Nabooru motioned her head at Link and Zelda, telling them, "Come on. Your old loft is still empty, just the way you left it. You can stay there while you're here." With those words, she turned her horse around and started riding next to them, looking over at Zelda before she snapped her fingers and added, "You're Mira, right?"

Link chuckled over the name that had been given to Nabooru before the truth had been discovered, informing her, "It's a long story I'll have to tell you later, but actually, her name is Zelda."

"Zelda?" Nabooru looked a little confused and pursed her lips at Link. When she gave him the look, he got a little confused, at least, until she asked, "Just what kind of women have you been hooking up with?"

He groaned over the comment meant to make fun of him, but heard Zelda snickering, which caused him to glance over at her with a raised brow. She looked contrite when he did, covering her mouth with her hand to hide her amusement, and Link just rolled his eyes. Zelda somehow got the feeling that Link's playful nature where he liked to pick on her from time to time might have actually come from being around Nabooru for so long now that she was listening to them talk again, and she couldn't help but be humored by it.

Changing the subject with a little smile when she saw she'd successfully embarrassed Link, Nabooru asked, "So, how have you been anyway?"

"Good," Link told her, looking over, "very busy," he added a little more vaguely. He was glad to actually be back here somehow, glad to see Nabooru again, didn't care that she sometimes liked to joke at him because he knew the reason was that she'd missed him and cared for him a good deal. One thing he didn't like about this reunion however was the thought of the information he'd come across in his travels. He still hadn't decided whether or not he wanted to tell Nabooru that Ganondorf was her son, but for now, he knew he definitely didn't want to. Not until they'd been there for a little while longer and gotten caught up first, saying they even had the time for that.

"Busy, huh? Have you brought me anything nice in your travels then? Because you look like you've been all over the place."

Nabooru looked at him expectantly, and he knew she would've loved to have something because, and while she didn't demand them of course, Nabooru loved gifts. Link wasn't sure what he had along the lines of a gift however, drawing a somewhat blank face as he thought it over. Zelda, listening as well, narrowed her brows in thought for a moment, then she snapped her fingers. "I have something for you."

"Oh really?" Nabooru smirked, looking over at Link with a gloating grin. Link grumbled and just let the two women have their way for the moment.

Finding the item in her satchels, Zelda pulled it out and handed it to Link in order to pass it on. He realized it was the circlet she'd gotten from Queen Majalyn, and heard her saying, "It's from the Queen of the Zora's. She gave it to me for helping Link to return a letter she'd never received from her sister who had passed on. I think the blue color of the stones would look good with your red hair though."

Nabooru took the circlet into her hand, the other still settled upon her reigns, looking over the silver and blue of the decorative item, and she smiled at Zelda, shaking her head, "I normally love receiving gifts, but I can't take something like this."

Even Link looked surprised as they neared the large gates that led into the valley. "Why not?" He'd honestly thought Nabooru would've snatched the jewelry up like a starving man would've snatched at food offered to him because of the way she adored the items. Especially if they sparkled.

"Because it's from one Royal to another," Nabooru explained, "I'm not royalty, and I think it should stay where it belongs. Besides, if she lost her sister and wanted you to have it, then you should kept it."

"Wait," Link waved his hand when she mentioned the word royal,"how did you know that Zelda–"

"Link, please," Nabooru smirked, interrupting him, "I've heard the name Zelda since you've been gone. Rumor makes it through the desert faster than a fish through water. Why do you think I'd asked what kind of women you'd been hooking up with anyway? Because I thought it was an odd that she suddenly had a different name?" She smirked, chuckling over the thought before she looked ahead toward the valley they were nearing and added, "I think you two would make a cute couple though."

Link was still surprised that Nabooru knew, and wondered if she had any idea how close to the target she was in mentioning them as a couple, sighing out his breath over the thought. Before he could consider more on it however, he heard Zelda telling the redheaded Gerudo, "Really Nabooru. I want you to have it. I have another that my mother made for me, and I really don't need two. Besides, I'd like to thank you."

Glancing over at her a little curiously, Nabooru asked, "For what?"

"For taking care of Link when we all thought he could have been dead. I really do want you to keep it. Royalty is just a word that doesn't have any place between friends after all."

Nabooru considered it, looking at the circlet in her hand thoughtfully, and slowly nodded as they came toward the entrance to the Valley. "Well, since you put it like that, I can't say no, now can I?" She grinned, and it drew a smile to Zelda's lips in response.

The rock walls they began passing through while they spoke were wide and tall, a large gate built between them which was currently open helped to both conceal and protect the settlement the Gerudo called home. Once they'd passed through the large gates and into the Valley itself, they were able to see the homes and buildings, both dug into grotto's and built from cement and bricks into buildings, some with thatched roofs over their doors and porches, others with ladders leading up to balconies and lofts above.

The Valley was fairly wide and there were ledges on some of the rock walls that led into caves and grottoes. There were some statues carved into those same walls high above as well. Something Zelda found a little surprising was that within the Valley was a considerable amount of plant life, and not just cactuses like she'd thought there might've been. Vines grew over the sides of several homes, some in intricate patterns that looked very lovely, especially with the white flowers blooming on some of them, and in some way, the entire Valley itself just seemed very inviting, as if making anyone forget the fact that it was located within a hot desert.

Before she could comment over much however, especially since it was growing darker and getting harder to see, though the Gerudo had set up several street lamps which a woman riding a horse was moving about to light because of the hour, she heard Nabooru speaking over what they'd been discussing before.

"You know Link, she's smart, don't let her get away."

Link snorted, "You really have no idea."

The comment made Nabooru grin and then look over at Zelda, adding, "I'm going to have to leave you with Link for now, I want to go grab a few things I've been dying to show him whenever he came back to visit, so why don't you two just get settled in and I'll be back shortly. You're loft is still in the same place it was before. Same condition and everything. I haven't touched it since you left."

Nodding their heads at her, Nabooru thanked Zelda for the gift she'd gotten, and she started riding away to do as she'd suggested she would. Watching her go, Link heard Zelda telling him, "I'm surprised."

The comment made him look over at her while they trotted down the sand covered pathway between the homes, and Link asked her, "About what?"

"Well, it's a lot different than I'd thought it would be. And it's not as hot as I was expecting."

"Well, it's winter," he told her, "it gets a lot cooler in the winter, especially at night. You'll probably have to bundle up."

Smiling, Zelda wanted to reply to him, but someone called his name out. Looking over, they saw an older woman with a large basket in her arms that she was carrying, and she asked if Link was staying for a while, to which he responded that he might just be. Others threw out their hello's as well, and eventually Link dismounted Epona, he and Zelda talking to a few of the Gerudo on the roadside as they went.

Some of them, Zelda realized, didn't know English very well, which didn't bother her because she knew what they were saying, and even though Link kept translating for them sometimes, she decided not to inform Link he didn't have to until they were alone again. For the moment, she just let him, and as she listened to their conversation, she came to realize that they seemed to genuinely miss him.

Once the conversation was over and the Gerudo were going back to what they'd been up to before, Zelda smiled at Link, and he sighed out his breath.

"At this rate it'll take an hour just to get to my loft."

Smirking over the comment and giving him a humorously sympathetic look, Zelda told him, "Well, you've missed them too, haven't you?"

Link nodded, "Yeah, I've missed them, but it's not that bad for me."

"Why is that?"

"Because I found you again," he told her, smirking when she reached up and shoved his shoulder playfully for making it sound so purposefully mushy.

"You're silly," she chided, ready to add more to her words when she heard something slip and thud onto the ground from Frost's back. With a narrowed brow, she looked back to see that a satchel had fallen, and she stopped walking so she could go gather it back up and tie it to the saddle again. Link stopped to wait on her, hearing her musing that she thought she'd tied it tight enough when he heard someone else saying his name from his opposite side.

Zelda heard it too, and she grabbed her satchel and stood with the thought in mind to walk back around their horses in order to meet whomever had just greeted Link again since their horses were blocking her view. Tying the satchel back to her saddle so she could walk around and be introduced to the new face, Zelda came to a stop suddenly after she'd rounded the front of Epona.

Her jaw dropped. It wasn't the beauty of the woman who was wearing a light blue top that cut off over her flat midriff along with a sleek skirt that had slits up both sides, her clothing edged with golden ornate patterns, and a gold chain with trinkets hanging off of it that was hooked around her belly. It wasn't her curves or waist length curls of raven black hair.

It was the fact that she had just walked up to Link and kissed him.

Even though she was stunned - and indeed jealous - she knew exactly who this had to be. Masita. Rumors of how forward the woman was seemed to be completely true if the way she'd just kissed Link without any real notice was any indication. Zelda couldn't help how she'd suddenly felt seeing this. She knew how Link felt about her, and she knew she wasn't lacking in the looks department saying such a thing could have become an issue, so she wasn't insecure about those thoughts at all.

She was insecure about her experience versus that of the woman who'd just leaned up to kiss him without notice, as apparently Masita did have it if she was comfortable enough to kiss Link out of nowhere, at the same time reminding Zelda just what kind of past the two did in fact have.

Link was wide eyed as this happened. He knew it was possible, knew how Masita was, but he hadn't expected the woman to simply walk up to him and kiss him where anyone could have walked past to see them, let alone the fact that Zelda was right there. He didn't return the kiss Masita was giving him, and instead, he broke it off and pushed her back, though not too roughly since she _was_ a friend, by placing his hands on her upper arms.

Masita just smiled playfully up at him and snickered, actually walking her fingers up his chest as she said, in the Gerudo language, "So, you finally came back. You didn't want to wander off into a grotto, did you?"

Zelda was not only completely floored, but also completely astounded. And angry. Masita wasn't facing her though, more than likely had no idea she was there, but Zelda couldn't help herself. Her temper flared and there was really nothing to be done to stop it.

Link took a second to respond to the highly suggestive words, snapping out of his stupor and saying, in English, "Uh, Masita, I need to introduce you to someone," he nodded his head to the direction behind her where Zelda stood.

Masita turned around and looked over when he did that, and she blinked, her brilliant green eyes going wide. She honestly hadn't spotted the lady with him, and she stood up straight, turning around to face the blonde lady completely. "Oh! I didn't even see you!"

Zelda wasn't completely sure how to respond. She knew she should try to be nice though, despite the fact that she knew of Link and Masita's past, however brief it had actually been. But Zelda questioned that now in seeing this, though she had to remind herself that Masita was forward. But even still, did she have a right to be angry? After all, Masita hadn't seen her, didn't even know Link and herself had become involved, so Zelda decided to just be polite until given a reason to show how angry she was.

"Hello," Zelda replied, wanting to say something else, but she just couldn't get anymore out.

Masita smiled in a friendly manner, completely unwitting to the fact that she and Link were considering themselves together, her tan skin and fair complexion setting off her brilliant green eyes almost perfectly. Looking back at Link, she asked, "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Yeah,"Link drew out, clearing his throat, apparently uncomfortable because he could see Zelda wasn't completely happy at all with what had just happened. "Um, Zelda, this is Masita. Masita, this is Zelda." Following those words, he added something to Masita in Gerudo, which Zelda understood as telling Masita that Zelda was his girlfriend.

Masita suddenly gave Link a horrified look. Turning swiftly, she told Zelda, "Oh! I'm sorry! I had no idea you two were," she waved her hand between them, "I mean..."

She seemed to be completely mortified, and Zelda did feel better now. She hated that she'd become so jealous to begin with, but she really couldn't help herself. That jealousy was still there as well, but it was much easier to contain now that she knew for certain that Masita wasn't going to insist on anything Zelda wouldn't like. With the thought in mind, she held her hand out to shake Masita's in greeting and told her, "It's okay, I'm not mad," she lied, "I was just surprised."

"I know, I'm sorry!" Masita took her hand to shake it in return, adding, "I would have been too. Link and I used to be close, it just didn't end badly, so I didn't think it would hurt to give him a kiss." Looking back over at Link as she cringed, she told him softly in Gerudo, "Please don't tell her what we've done. I don't want her to hate me."

Link shook his head at her, feeling completely caught between a rock and a hard place in that moment since the damage had already been done a while ago. Zelda already knew about their past, but Link definitely wasn't going to drag that up now, and he replied to her in the same language words to hopefully make this all a little better, "Don't worry, she won't hate you." Since Link didn't know that Zelda could understand the language, he looked at her and said, "She's too embarrassed to know what to say."

Zelda felt much better toward the woman now, seeing that she really wasn't trying to move in on Link and get him back into some kind of romantic relationship like they'd had before. "It's alright, you didn't see me, and it was a misunderstanding. So we can pretend it didn't happen, right?"

The gorgeous Gerudo looked highly relieved, nodding in Zelda's direction vigorously, "Yes, please, let's do that. I mean it was all just action without consideration. So we can talk again sometime? Besides, it's getting late, and you two probably need to get settled, right?"

"Yes, good idea," Zelda nodded, getting the feeling that Masita just wanted to leave them alone for a while now because she was so embarrassed about what had happened. "We can talk again soon sometime, and you can show me around."

Masita seemed to like the idea, nodding her head with a smile. "I will! Link knows where I stay, he can tell you how to find me."

Zelda, nodded in her direction with a friendly smile, watching the Gerudo wave at them before turning to leave the scene quickly, also walking away herself with Frost's reigns in her hand. She sighed out her breath once they were outside of earshot. Glancing up at Link, she saw him cringing as if he expected her to hit him at any moment while they walked on.

"Oh stop," she sighed, "I'm not mad."

Link lifted a brow and looked over and down at her, giving her a somewhat incredulous look. "You're not?"

Zelda thought about that for a moment as they got further down the road, and then grumbled, "Okay, yes, I am. Go to a grotto, Link?" She gave him a look that said she was angry, jealous, and completely frustrated. "Are you _sure_ you two didn't do more than you'd said in Misty Falls!?"

Link, though he was back to cringing away from her again, was surprised she'd heard that part. "Wait, you understood that? I thought she was speaking Gerudo."

"She was," Zelda sighed out, shaking her head. "The Triforce of Wisdom allows me to know other languages."

Link stared ahead as they reached a particular building with a ladder leading up to a balcony and a loft above, as if a bit surprised by that, and he stopped walking, saying, "Why doesn't mine do that?"

"Link, you already know Gerudo."

"I know, but–," he stopped himself when he saw the look on her face which was meant to tell him he should stay on topic, causing him to sigh and turn to face her to try to make this right. "Zelda, if there's anything more to what we did, it wasn't something I wanted to tell you because I was," he rubbed the back of his head as if he didn't want to admit what he was about to say but he pushed it out of himself anyway, "embarrassed, alright? We only slept together twice, I was honest about that, but we did other things too."

Zelda, looking down with a frown on her face, asked him shyly, "Like," she shrugged, "what we did?"

"Yes," he admitted quietly, adding, "please don't be mad at me. I didn't think she'd do something like what she just did. I mean, I'm not surprised she did it because she's forward with what she wants, but I definitely wasn't expecting it like that. I'm sorry."

"I'm not mad at _you_," Zelda informed him and then pursed her lips together and sighed, still angry for some strange reason she couldn't place. Maybe it was the jealousy, hating to see anyone kissing him, but she finally said, "You said she was pretty."

Link remembered that conversation in Misty Falls, and he shrugged his shoulders a little, asking, "She is, so what?"

"She's not pretty, Link, she's gorgeous."

Zelda was as jealous as any woman could get. Those words proved it completely to Link a hundred times over. This was going to have to be handled delicately, and sighing, Link turned to take Epona's reigns and tether them, offering to do the same for Frost's before he replied to her.

"Zelda," he started, finishing off what he'd been working on before turning back to face her again, "I don't think she's anymore gorgeous than you are. I want to know what I need to do to prove that to you. I really don't want this to turn into an argument, not right now."

"I know that," she grumbled, finally looking up at him. "I know she didn't mean it, and I know that if she's good looking, then she just is. But I'm still mad."

Link tilted his head in thought over the words, figuring the only possible thing it could be making her feel that anger, and he asked, "Do you think it's because you know what we did and you feel threatened by it?"

Zelda hated that he'd figured it out and she couldn't look at him anymore, turning away with a blush on her face so hot she thought her head might burst into flames. Seeing the look, he knew he was right, and figured it might be best if they talked about it inside, so he went over to the ladder and reached for her hand.

Letting him take it, though she didn't look at him as she stepped over toward him, Link told her, "This is my loft, go on up. We can talk about it inside."

With a soft grumble, Zelda took the rungs of the ladder and started climbing it, thinking inside would be much better than where they were incase someone might've decided to listen in. The higher she got, the more she could see out into the distance, though it was too late to get a decent view, so she just climbed to the balcony and waited for Link to get up there, then watched him opening the door after he'd pulled himself up.

Link felt a slight bit nostalgic being back in his room again, lighting the candles settled next to the door on a table using the magic he'd learned so far from the woman who was about to walk in as he held the door open for her, and as things came into view, he saw that it really hadn't been touched like Nabooru had told him. The dresser was still settled against the wall with a knife on top of it, laying next to a piece of wood he'd been carving into a candle holder. The bed was made, settled next to a window, the shudder of which was closed, and there was a door in the back of the room that was also shut.

Looking around, Zelda forgot about her previous embarrassments and anger for the moment, and she smiled now that she was able to see the place where Link had stayed before he'd come back to Kakariko. There was an ornate mask on the wall as a decoration over the bed, and on both sides of it were small candelabra's which Link was currently lighting so they could both see better.

The walls were painted a light blue color as more light filtered into the room, a single rug across the hardwood floor in a deep red tone, and Zelda went to the door in the back, taking the knob and asking him, "Where does this go?"

Looking over, he told her, "Wash room, and the door in there leads out onto a ledge toward some caves where there's a lot of water."

Zelda smiled, pushing the door open to look inside, seeing the wooden tub and wash basin, as well as a mirror settled above the basin containing an empty pitcher for pouring water from. It was a very nice place, despite there only being two rooms, they had some size to them, and Zelda shut the door again before she turned back to face him.

"What were you carving over there," she asked, motioning to the knife he'd just picked up.

"Oh, just a few candle holders. I don't do much wood carving, but they were easy enough to make, and I thought Nabooru might like them."

She gave him a little smile, telling him, "Well, she seems to like gifts. It's very nice here too, not at all what I'd imagined, but even better than that."

"Thanks, I was hoping it would be," he smiled while he put the knife back down, and once he had, she watched him turn to face her before he asked, "So, was I right?"

"About what?"

"Outside, about being threatened by my past with Masita."

Zelda pursed her lips and looked away with the topic drawn back up again, finally nodding slowly. "It's not that I'm angry it happened, or that I wish it hadn't. I think I'm just worried I don't match up."

That was a woman for you, Link considered. He shook his head over the words, telling her, "You're worrying over nothing, Zelda. How could you think you wouldn't match up? You've got more history with me than she does."

That was true. Zelda knew it was, but she also knew that the fact that what he'd had with Masita was a different kind of history, and that's where her anxiety had stemmed from. Did she think Link would leave her to go to Masita? No, not at all. But on the same token, she also wondered if he still had any kind of feelings for her lingering on, and she sighed out her breath.

It wasn't worth thinking about, she supposed. So instead of saying what she'd thought of, she just nodded her head at him and replied, "I know. It's normal to feel this way though, I mean, she _did_ kiss you right in front of me. After all, how would you feel if you saw someone kissing me?"

Link went a little blank faced for a moment. But not long after he'd had the thoughts, his brows narrowed and he sighed. "Don't say that."

The reaction had her honestly intrigued, and with a curious look in her eyes, she asked him, "What? Why not?"

"Because it makes me mad," he grumbled. With the thought in mind, he could see clearly well how she was angry and, had he been in her shoes, he probably wouldn't have handled it as well as she did. After all, she hadn't even yelled at Masita. Link, had Zelda been in the same situation with someone who was forward and kissed her when they didn't know she was involved with someone else, probably would have tackled the guy, would have at least yelled at him, whether he knew she was taken or not.

Zelda found his response to be somehow endearing, and it helped to ease her anger finally. She was glad he could understand her plight now, and was relieved for that. Watching him, he turned away from the dresser he'd been standing at and went to sit on his bed. In doing so, he leaned his arms on his knees and looked up at her, changing the subject.

"Nabooru will be coming by shortly. I was going to ask you if before then, you'd like to see if you can heal the wounds I still have anymore."

Hearing the words, Zelda walked over to him and knelt down before him, holding his gaze with hers as she took his hands and asked him, "Are they ailing you again?"

"No, not much," he shook his head, "but better to have them taken care of than lingering on when we head to the Spirit Temple. Then maybe I won't have to keep a bandage on my leg anymore. It kind of itches."

She smiled over the words, giving him a nod of her head before she took her hand from one of his and motioned for him to sit back a bit. Doing so, he watched her placing her hand on his right thigh where he had the injury, and he felt the same magic she'd been using on him since the evening before in order to try to heal him up a bit more. The warmth washed through him again, making the wounds smaller still, closing many more of them up to completion. In fact, he didn't even think he would need another treatment after that at all.

As her powers faded away from him, Link took in a breath and nodded his head. "Let me go check," he said, standing up, helping her to her feet first before pressing a thank you kiss to her lips. Once he done so, he turned to go into the wash room, and Zelda smiled once the door was shut, sitting down on his bed.

She hoped the wounds were gone now completely. This was the third time she'd done the healing spell for him, and every time, it seemed like more of them disappeared. His leg however he'd still needed to bandage, so maybe if they were lucky, that would be the only one left, and it would be healing so well he wouldn't need the bandage anymore. If that was the case, she doubted he'd ask for the treatment again at all.

Until she found out, she thought for a few moments about the Spirit Temple and their incoming struggle there. She could only hope that it wouldn't be an insurmountable task. After all, it was the last Temple that needed to be released of the dark magic consuming its powers, and Zelda somehow got the feeling that things would get complicated there.

---

Across the top of a rock wall in the dying light of day overlooking the desert stood a black horse. The rider seated on the stallion's back was watching three people enter the Gerudo Valley. Once they'd disappeared, he smirked and took the reigns of his horse, turning the animal to head down a rocky incline.

Dark Link had been fairly curious about the area, wondering how he'd known it so well. He'd been about the lands of Hyrule for a while now, doing whatever he pleased, coming and going at will, doing what he did best which was causing trouble, until he'd headed into the desert of the Gerudo just a few days ago. During that time, he hadn't given much thought to his light half, and on the same token, hadn't known where the good boy had been hiding anyway. But now it seemed that their paths had crossed again.

While he hadn't been all that concerned with thinking of his light half, he had, in fact, been thinking more and more over his lady friend, the Princess. Especially since a day or so ago. His feelings surrounding the beautiful Hylian Royal had gone from amorous to completely lustful, and Dark Link got the feeling that the two of them had become a bit more playful than those outside of marriage should have become, the thought in itself making him grin wickedly. _For shame, Link_, he thought to himself, _for shame_. _And here you were supposed to be the good boy_.

Reaching the sandy floor of the desert, he turned on his stallion and goaded it off into a casual gallop, not in a hurry at all. He had time to spare, for the moment. The Spirit Temple was near this place, and somehow he felt he knew the exact location. He'd use that to his advantage.

It was the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.


	53. Captive

_Chapter 52 -_ _Captive_

Nabooru eventually arrived at Link's loft, a satchel on her back with a few items in it that she'd wanted to show him. Apparently, some of the Gerudo had recently returned from visiting a tribe in Nasinia, a village located on the outskirts of the kingdom of Althor, one which operated somewhat outside of the kingdoms control, similar to how the Hyrule Royalty had thought of the Gerudo in times past. The satchel carried a few things from there, and other items she wanted them to see.

Link and Zelda talked to Nabooru for a while. They'd discussed the situation in Hyrule, and Link told her of his need to go to the Spirit Temple, and when he'd done so, Nabooru told him it wouldn't be easy to get there.

The words made Link curious, and when he asked why, she told him that for the past two weeks straight, there had been a sandstorm brewing in the southern region, which surrounded the entrance to the Spirit Temple. Two weeks, Link thought to himself, noting that the time it had been going on definitely didn't seem to be coincidental. Zelda had the sentiments.

Sandstorms didn't bother Link however. They'd have to go through on foot, but he'd weathered those types of storms before. It was Zelda he was worried about, to an extent anyway, because he half expected for them to get there and for her to have some type of magical barrage that would protect them erected while they made their way through it. But if she didn't, he knew they'd have a bit of trouble trying to get inside of it.

In other places of conversation though, Nabooru heard about what Masita did, and she got a real laugh out of it, informing Link that she'd told him the girl would miss him. She told Zelda that Masita had gotten herself into trouble several times because of her forward ways, but she always managed to get herself out of it on the same token somehow. Zelda could see why, but she didn't say a word of it, was just appreciative that the two of them hadn't become mortal enemies so to speak because of what had happened on the roadside earlier.

Nabooru also showed them some dresses she'd made. Zelda commented that the circlet she'd been given would look good with one of them, and all the talk of dresses and jewelry, while not quite up his alley, made Link think of Zelda's new gown, and he mentioned it. Zelda considered getting it out to show Nabooru, or at least the circlet, and when Link offered to go get it for her, she told him she would do it because she got the feeling that Link and Nabooru could have used the time together in order to talk a little more.

Leaving them both inside to speak, Zelda climbed down the ladder and set her booted feet onto the ground, looking over to their horses with a little smile on her face. Epona was closer to her than Frost was, and she went to the hammer bag where the dress was located and opened it in order to look through it. As she did so, Epona backed up a bit, and Zelda snickered softly over the horses movements.

"Stay still, I'm not going through Link's things," she grinned and reached up to pat the horses nose soothingly. When Epona stopped, she rubbed her mane and then turned to go back to the bag, but suddenly Epona whinnied and threw up her front legs a bit as if in agitation.

The movement got Zelda concerned, asking Epona, "What's wrong?," when she heard Link's voice, but the words spoken weren't something Link would say. Her eyes went wide when she heard them, her blood freezing inside of her chest as her heart stopped for a moment, and she spun around quickly when a fist gripped her throat.

"Did you miss me?"

---

"She's very sweet," Nabooru commented as Zelda had left the room. "If she's the Princess of Hyrule, then I think our worlds will be much better when she can truly take the crown."

Link thought about that, nodding his agreement immediately, but he also considered who had the crown now. Her son, or then again, was he? Link breathed through his nose and considered it, and while his face became solemn, Nabooru narrowed her red eyebrows and asked, "What's wrong, Link? You look like you're bothered by something."

Glancing up at her, Link looked her face over, always kind and full of life. He didn't want to ruin that look with his news, and he shook his head, "It's nothing really."

"Well, it has to be something," she informed him. "Is it me?"

"No, not at all," he reassured her. Standing up from where he'd been sitting, making his way toward the closed window, he added, "I've just learned some things since I've been gone, things that aren't easy to say, that's all."

Nabooru, still sitting on the chair in the room, watched him quietly. She took a moment to respond, but she eventually told him, "You know, I can tell that somehow. It's not that you're different than you were, but you seem a little wiser now. It's only been a month or so, and I guess it's true about wisdom and age, or in this case, time. You've grown a good bit, and even if what you've learned isn't good, the fact that you've grown is, and I'm glad to see it."

He smiled, glad she'd said that, and looking back at her, he told her, "Thank you. I'm glad for that too."

Standing up, walking toward him, Nabooru put a hand on his shoulder and informed him, "If there _is_ something troubling you that's hard to say, and it has anything to do with me or my people, you'll tell me in your own time. Don't worry about it for now. You'll be here for a few days more than likely. We can talk about it later."

Nodding his head, Link was about to tell her that he thought that was the best idea when he was interrupted. The sound of Epona whinnying had reached his pointed ears from outside, and Link knew the sound wasn't a common one to come from his horse. Something was wrong.

Moving to the door without a word, he pushed it open and moved onto the balcony looking down. What he saw made him draw his sword immediately.

His dark mimicry had grabbed Zelda by her throat and before she could get any damage done to make him release her, he'd backhanded her across her cheek to send her flying to the side. Zelda hit the ground, completely dazed from the impact, and Dark Link moved toward her with a smirk on his lips before he narrowed his brows as he saw a shadow of movement. Suddenly, he jumped out of the way and toward the fallen Princess just as the Master Sword came down where he'd been standing, the tip of the blade embedding into the sand.

Link looked up when there - sadly - wasn't a bloodied corpse beneath himself, anger apparent on his face as he pulled his weapon back up and spied his evil mimicry before him with Zelda, his version of the Master Sword at her throat as she lay almost flat on her stomach, a fist full of her hair in his hand to pull her head back and threaten her life.

Link desperately fought both not to charge him as well as not to look at Zelda's face, because he knew seeing her like this would just enrage him even more, keeping his eyes settled on his enemy. Above them, Nabooru had run out onto the balcony, and having heard the commotion, other Gerudo had come running toward the scenes, some of them drawing swords they carried, others wielding spears.

But Nabooru spied the situation Zelda was in, and she waved a hand and called out something in Gerudo. The words made her people stop in their tracks from heading in any closer, looking up to see their leader there, telling them to stand down where they were.

Link ignored the situation for the moment however, glaring at his dark mimicry, saying deathly seriously, "If you cut her throat, I'll–"

"Believe it or not, I actually don't want to," Dark Link cut him off, "though seeing you suffer would be the highlight of my existence. So don't think for a second that I won't."

Link sneered at the words and at his enemy, and he asked the most logical question in that moment that there was, "You know, you _are_ surrounded. How do you intend to get away this time?"

"Oh, you should know better than anyone what kind of tricks we have up our sleeves." With a smirk, Dark Link tugged Zelda up by her hair slowly. In her dazed state, she grimaced and was forced for the moment to let the evil shadow tug her backwards. As she came to, his sword still at her throat, Zelda felt his hand against her back, and something binding itself around her, looking down with her eyes alone to see threads of dark magic winding around her mid section and her arms.

Becoming almost completely helpless as she was bound in such a way, somehow knowing she wouldn't be able to teleport out of the magical threads tying her now as her mind became a bit more focused than before. Looking forward, she saw Link's face, and somehow, she couldn't ever remember seeing him more angry than in that moment.

Link had to steady himself from just rushing his mirror like he so wanted to, and Dark Link just grinned back at him, saying to Zelda, "Doesn't he look angry?"

Zelda's brows narrowed, wishing she had the opportunity to spit right in his face at that moment. "I'm sure you'll find out just how angry very soon now," she told him on a cold voice.

"Maybe I will. But for now, we've got to go."

With the words, Dark Link grinned evilly before orbs of black energy formed into the air before himself and Zelda, pulsing with a high pitched whir of sound before they shot off at Link at a swift pace, forcing him to duck out of the way. The orbs slammed into the sand behind him, blowing a good bit of the material up and into the air.

Dark Link used the distraction to pull his sword from Zelda's throat, and then he reached up to put his hand across her face. Zelda tried to turn her head, but a flash of blackness burst from his palm, and the result was for her entire body to go limp, unconscious and still. Dark Link pulled her up by her waist as she fell against him and easily tossed her over his shoulder before he took off in a swift sprint.

Link had recovered from his evasion of the dark magic, looking up just in time to see Dark Link slinging Zelda across his shoulder before making his way off with her. Pushing himself forward, Link began to pursue him, coming around the corner of the street side to see Dark Link jumping into the air and onto the covered roof of a porch, where Link followed.

He had a bit of trouble because dark forces aided his mirror and allowed him to jump a bit higher than Link himself could, but Link used the hookshot to pull himself upwards and onto the high roof of a building whenever Dark Link made his way onto it, and alternately out of the way of more of the black magic his mimicry was shooting at him in order to slow him down. Link pulled himself up onto the roof with the hookshot in hand and chased him, jumping from rooftop to rooftop as far as the last building down that line of road before the shadow carrying Zelda jumped toward the ground.

He landed with relative ease on the back of his horse which he'd left there purposefully, having planned this from the very beginning, and smacking his legs into the horses hind flanks, he began heading toward a southern passage that led through a ravine of sand in narrow rocky chasms.

It was the path that led to the Spirit Temple.

Link came to a stop at the edge of the building's rooftop and fisted his hand tightly as he watched the horse riding swiftly into the darkness of the night and the ravine. In his attempt not to rush off without thinking, trying to figure out the easiest way to get Zelda back safely, he also thought about the orbs of magic his mimicry had used, but he didn't have much time to consider it before he heard Nabooru calling his name from the street below. Taking a deep breath, remembering that the chasm led to a dead end in the Spirit Temple, even if the path of desert to cross over to it was fairly vast, Link remembered that his mirror wouldn't kill Zelda, and he was forced in that moment to rely on her cunning to keep herself out of trouble until he could get to her.

With those thoughts in mind, Link turned and went toward the edge of the roof, looking down as Nabooru had come running with the Gerudo soldiers following her.

"Link, did you lose him?"

"No," Link replied, leaping over the edge of the building, landing on the ledge of a roof over a balcony before he jumped down from that as well and landed rather safely on the sand covered road. "He's taking Zelda to the Spirit Temple. I have to follow him."

Nabooru stared as Link moved toward her, and she reminded him, "But the sandstorm, if you–"

"I don't care about that storm," he stopped her. "I just need a face mask so I can get through it. I don't have a lot of time. But it's a dead end, so we need to post people to watch the chasm."

Nabooru sighed, then nodded quickly, knowing there was no time to argue while turning to go get him what he'd asked for. Link went with her in order to take it more quickly, as well as ride Epona through the passage until he reached the open desert, knowing that would cut the amount of traveling he would have to do in half.

Taking equipment that was used for sandstorms from Nabooru and mounting Epona, Link turned the horse in the direction he needed to head, having donned a brown robe that resembled a monks over his clothing in order to protect himself from the storm when the redhead who'd saved his life ten years ago called out to him before he took off, "Since when do you have a twin anyway? And what does he want with Zelda?"

Link shook his head at Nabooru, "I don't have a twin, and I'll tell you when I get back with her."

Nabooru sighed deeply as she watched Link taking off right after he'd told her that, watching him riding through the streets toward the southern end of the Valley, and she shook her head slowly. All she could do aside from posting guards up was try to figure out some kind of logical explanation in the meantime and hope that Zelda was alright.

Link too for that matter. With the thoughts in mind she turned back to members of the Gerudo whom were standing with her and told them to watch the entrance to the chasm in shifts, and be wary, because apparently whomever this person was that had abducted Zelda looked just like Link, so they should be aware of it at all costs.

---

Across the sea of sand beyond the chasm stood a large monument of the Triforce erected to honor the Goddesses settled in the rock walls surrounding the large entrance of the Temple of Spirit. The Temple was housed largely inside of a rock wall that created the enclave of the southern region of the Gerudo Desert, which was the lowest tip of the entire Kingdom of Hyrule.

Inside of the Temple, as all of them, awaited dangerous traps and enemies about the corridors, all of them set up and summoned in order to protect the Dark Orb that had consumed the essence of Spirit, which resided inside of a large room settled near the very top of the Temple itself. Inside of that room, the seal placed upon the door already broken, stood columns settled around the walls with statues of former Sages built in their memories, some men, some women, and some old enough to be worn down without proper care during the last period of seventeen years that had passed.

The roof was domed out, etchings of patterns decorating the inside of the dome and the walls, a testament to the fact that the Temple used to be a friendly, and a safe place. In the center of the room was a pit of sand, over it settled the Dark Orb that Zelda sought to destroy, gleaming a golden color of the energy it had consumed inside of it. Beyond the orb, near an alcove in the room, stood a dome of barrier magic, and inside of it lay Zelda, her eyes coming slowly open.

Her head throbbed, the side of her face around her left eye aching from where she'd been backhanded earlier, and she groaned softly, slowly pushing herself up. Settling herself on her knees with the burgundy of her skirts folding about her legs, she reached up to the side of her head to tentatively touch the tender spot around her eye, taking in a breath. Dark Link, she thought to herself, fisting her hand in anger. Where had he taken her?

With the thought in mind, she glanced up and about at the dome of translucent magic surrounding her, imprisoning her. The barrier glowed a translucent white, and she could see the room beyond her magical prison as well. Looking the dome over, it was then that she spied the Dark Orb resting in the sand about twenty feet from where she was currently trapped.

The Spirit Temple? Zelda narrowed a brow and pushed herself up to her feet, the dome of magic holding her captive high enough for her to stand and large enough in circumference for her to walk around in by a good ten feet. Slowly, she began to head toward the magical barrier, wondering if perhaps she could use her power to break through it, and raised her hand toward it slowly.

Then she stopped suddenly with a thought in mind. Before she tried, she had to make sure there were no threats about, especially Dark Link. She turned her face slowly in order to really look, but didn't spy him anywhere, at least, not until she turned around and saw him standing directly behind her, walking through the dome of magic that seemed to have no effect on him whatsoever, telling her that he'd been the one who'd erected it, not that she'd expected any differently.

She backed away from him and closer to the wall of the force field, causing him to lift half of his lips in a little smile and inform her, "I wouldn't touch those walls if I were you. It might hurt."

Zelda did stop herself when she heard that, and kept that thought in mind, despite the fact that she loathed anything to come from his mouth. Standing where she was, warily watching him, she decided to slip to the side if he got any closer to her in order to keep a bit of space between them. But he continued standing there without approaching her, allowing her time for thought and response to his words, and so she asked him, "Why are you doing this? I would think it's to lure Link here so you can try to kill him, but after our last encounter, I'm not quite so sure."

He seemed to be amused in a way, waving a hand casually as he informed her, "Well, at least you didn't forget our little tryst in Engleton."

"Tryst?" She asked. "If that's your idea of a tryst, then please spare me from any others you have planned. In fact, if you want to seal me inside of this dome, then do me a favor and seal yourself out at the same time."

The evil mimicry started laughing over her words, turning his head a slight bit before pushing his white hair from his face, looking back over at her with those same red eyes she believed would end up haunting her if he didn't stop tormenting her with the things he'd done to her so far. She hated him for what he'd done of course, but more so, she hated him because he looked exactly like Link, and she never wanted to see any kind of incarnation of Link doing the things he'd done, hitting her, holding blades to her throat, violating her in the darkness under the guise of being the one she actually loved.

His words only served to make her angry as well, telling her in reply to what she'd said, "You really are too cute for words, Princess."

It just sounded somehow sickening to her coming from him, and she gave him a look that said she wasn't pleased at all. When she did, he took a few steps forward, the movement causing her to slip to the side suddenly with a gaze on her violet blue that nearly screamed at him to stay away from her, but he just ignored it and asked her, "What's so different about me from him?"

Still approaching her, though not swiftly enough to actually catch her, all while she carefully backed away from him without running into the walls, she informed him, "What's the same? You're evil and twisted. Link would never hit me or hurt me in any way, but you've left a bruise on my face I'm fairly sure, and locked me inside of the Spirit Temple, threatened my life just to see him hurt, and you've killed for no reason except for that same one. What's _different_? Can you really seriously ask me that?"

"Of course I can," he smirked, still following her as she backed away, "I only do the same things he's capable of, and he'd do them too if he thought it would put me in jeopardy."

"Link would _never_ kill someone innocent, even if it meant your demise!," Zelda argued with him angrily.

Dark Link seemed to ignore the words however, continuing on through them with his points of similarities as if to say she were completely wrong, "I look almost the same, if not better, I want what he wants, and believe it or not, I actually do regret having to hit and threaten you. But would you really have cooperated otherwise?"

"Never," she spit out at him, "so I guess you take that as being forced into no other choice, don't you?"

Dark Link smirked over the question, the look telling her that he probably did in fact think that before he suddenly moved forward much more quickly than he had been. The movement made her gasp and jerk back to stay away from him, but he grasped her wrist before she could get away completely. As he did so, she turned away to try to get her arm free while he pulled her back toward himself.

"Let go!," she sneered, knowing he wouldn't, but she had to try. Once she was close enough to him, he pinned her arms down at her sides by wrapping his own around her, and held her back to his chest, his mouth close to her pointed ear as he informed her of his answer despite her protests of being held anywhere near him.

"That night in Engleton, you didn't even know the difference. You were willing. But you'd still kill me now if you had the opportunity, wouldn't you? So what do you think? Did I really not have a choice, or did I do it because I really wanted to?"

"Because you wanted to," she jerked, trying to get away from him, but his grip was like granite, and with his voice so close to her ear as it was, she turned her head away, having never wanted to see Link more in her entire life than she did in that moment. She couldn't stand it, how he sounded just like Link, how she couldn't see him now making it hard to tell a difference between the two, scaring her into thinking that some day, Link might actually be in a place she couldn't see him, and it would only remind her of the sickening feelings she had churning inside of her now.

No, it was easy to know this wasn't the same man, but at the same time, she knew it would be easy for this evil mock up to tarnish things, mar her perceptions, and she prayed nothing like that would happen. Prayed she'd never hear the real Link's voice and be reminded of this, look at his face and remember, feel the need to cringe away from him because of it.

The dark mimicry of Link holding her however just chuckled softly, saying the words, "You're right, I _did_ want to. But only because I want you with me so badly, and not with him." While he spoke, she fisted her hands and squeezed her eyes shut, letting him continue after a moment, the words dark and threatening indeed, "After all, I could just force myself on you, and you know I could."

Her eyes flew open with a loud gasp of fear over the mere notion, and Zelda jerked harder than she had yet to try to get away from him, prompting Dark Link to draw out a soft shush to her and tighten his hold, adding, "I'm not going to. I _don't_ want to hurt you." He emphasized, "I want to do this the right way, and have you come with me because you want me back. So tell me, Zelda," he stopped himself, smirking as he leaned into her ear and amended on a soft whisper, "_love_, how could I convince you to do that."

She'd become stiff and rigid against him, her breathing shaky as she trembled with both illness flooding through her as well as a bit of self loathing, because the words against her ear had sent a shiver through her that she was scared had been originated by unwanted response and not by the deep seated hatred she had of him, prompting her to scream inside of her head at herself.

He'd watched her trembling, taking in the sight of the side of her face, really looking her over now, her fair skin and slightly bronzed blonde hair, inhaling the scent of flowers before he let his eyes wander down her throat, to the amulet settled around her neck that belonged to her family with the blue gem embedded into it, then lower, to the swells of her breasts contained within the white bodice of the long sleeved burgundy dress she wore. It was no wonder he felt such an attraction to her, no wonder he had so much interest. She was, in fact, a gorgeous woman.

He almost felt no need to resist, his hand settled against her rib, and he could remember very well what it had felt like to cup that softness in his grasp from the night he'd found her in Engleton, the urge to reach for the soft mound within the confines of her bodice almost overwhelming. But he wanted her answer more than her body first, and he could decide from there what he would do, waiting, listening for it.

Finally, she gave him one, slowly turning her eyes in the direction he was in without turning her head, saying , "You could release me from this prison and allow me to do what I wanted to come here to do."

She felt his breath against her throat as he breathed out a slow breath, and she wasn't sure what he would do, her heart pounding in fear that he wouldn't, but even worse, he would begin to touch or try to kiss her in some way. But in a moment of apparent mercy, he lifted his head and let her go.

She wanted away from him so badly that when he did, she pushed herself forward and stumbled onto her knees, looking back quickly to see him waving a hand. "Maybe I will," he smirked at her. "Let me think about it for a little while. In the meantime, you return the favor and think about it too, and for now, I'll leave you alone to it."

He'd turned and started walking away. The barrier wavered around him as he passed through it, heading across the sand and past the Dark Orb, through the double doors, shutting them with a resounding thud. When he did, she squeezed her eyes shut and balled one of her fists. Think about it? What was there to think about? He had let her go, yes, but that didn't make up for everything else he'd done, and would continue to do. She had nothing to consider.

But he'd done her the favor of listening to her, and pushing herself over onto her bottom so she could sit with her knees drawn up and her arms resting on top of them, she pressed her forehead against them and felt a tear traveling down her cheek with the desperate want to get out of the magical cell she was contained within, the want to see Link and hug him tightly.

Consider it? Perhaps she would. But she knew that Dark Link wouldn't like the results.


	54. Temple of Spirit I

_Chapter 53 - Temple of Spirit I_

Epona galloped down the passage of the chasm with her rider steadfast upon her saddle. It was a dangerous ride because some of the passages were so narrow and the rocks jutted out, creating the possibility that riders not watching their step could get hit on the head and knocked off of their horse. Link knew the chasms well though, even as dark as it was now, and he avoided them, slowing down when he needed to and speeding up when he knew he had a safer path ahead of him.

He was wearing a long, brown robe, one the Gerudo wore to weather sand storms that flared up from time to time, a hood over his head with a mask he could pull down to cover his face protectively for weathering the sand storm. As he drew toward the end of the chasm, pulling Epona's reigns back to make her stop, he looked ahead at the open desert before him, seeing a thick wall of sand and dirt being whipped about a good thirty feet in the distance as if the storm was containing itself in one place for a certain reason.

His brows narrowed, knowing the force of evil that was causing this, and he looked down to the sand that still lay flat before him, seeing the horse tracks that led right into the storm, having been made recently, otherwise the random gusts of air blowing through the chasm sporadically would have covered them up already. Turning, he dismounted Epona, his boots pushing up the sand beneath them, taking her reigns into his hand. As he did, he gently pulled his horse around to face the opposite direction, and once she was, he reached back, smacking her hind flanks so she would go back to the Gerudo Valley as he'd told the Gerudo he'd send her. Epona started riding away from the dangerous storm ahead, leaving Link where he was standing while he turned to face the darkness before him, separating him from his destination.

Tiny in comparison to the gusting sand flying about in a cloud outside of the chasm he was standing in, he tugged his sword from the sheath beneath the robe he wore, as well as his shield, and then looked ahead again. With determined blues set steadily ahead of himself, Link reached up and tugged his mask down over his face, a square shaped hole with a sheer mesh clothe cut over the eyes to prevent sand from getting into them allowing him to see out. Once in place, he tied the tie of the robe at his neck to prevent a lot of sand from getting into his clothing, especially into the mask he wore. Now there was one last thing he needed to do.

His dark half, as he'd noticed when the shadow had abducted Zelda, had used a form of magic Link hadn't considered he'd possessed. His mother though, Myriad, had gifted Link with a portion of her power, and she'd said he could use it in the same manner as he'd used the spells Zelda had taught him, the shielding and the fire he preferred to stick the closest to. Myriad had told him it was there within him, the same as the rest, but he could feel a difference. Somehow, Link knew that his dark counterpart was using a twisted version of that power he'd been gifted with at birth, and if he'd figured out how to call upon it, then Link could as well.

Being nighttime as it was, Link closed his eyes and sought to invoke some of that power. He concentrated hard, felt it welling up inside of himself, a light beginning to shine around him, illuminating the area he was standing in between the rocky walls of the chasm. When his eyes opened again, he could see much better than before, and he smirked a little over his accomplishment. This would help his navigation of the storm tremendously.

Moving forward on foot, he disappeared into the gusting winds and sand, able to see much further with that power he'd just recently learned he possessed lighting his way. His sword still in hand, shield on his arm, he kept his eyes opened, moving forward constantly but warily, the storm about him creating too much noise for him to hear clearly, so he had to rely on his other senses.

In doing so, he noticed a shift in the sand beneath his feet. Looking back, he saw spikes attached to the top of a plant like creature rising up from the dirt, spinning about in circles. It began to head toward him once it had risen through the sand completely, spinning sharp spikes on its arms out at him, and Link turned his sword and held up his shield, stabbing the tip down to stop it in its tracks.

The creature was called a Leever, and with the first taken out, another of them came from the opposite direction, out of no where seemingly since Link couldn't see that far into the sand storm, and once more, he was forced to defend himself.

He evaded the second enemy with a roll out of its way and a swipe of the sword to slice it in half, then turned around and looked ahead again without care to the death of his victim. He knew he would have to be wary though, there could be several more of them, as well as who knew what else, shifting about in the storm brewing about him now.

Despite this however, Link was glad he'd learned of Myriad's power before he'd come out to the Gerudo Desert, but somehow, he got the feeling he would have either found out anyway. It just seemed that in this instance, fate was in fact working on his side. Walking on, he just hoped that the spell would last long enough to make it to the entrance of the Temple, and that when he got there, he was able to easily get inside of it.

But still, he had to reach it first, and through his traveling, more threats hurled themselves at him in the darkness created by the sand clouds. Link did his best to evade them, to make sure he watched the sand beneath his feet for Leevers, and to watch the sandstorm now for possible rocks that could have been hurtled through the winds and into him. As meticulous as the task had become, he remained vigilant, and eventually, he noticed the power of the light spell he'd cast starting to fade slowly.

It would become completely dark once the spell faded, and if that happened, he would be in much worse peril. Managing to sight a rock flying toward him, Link held up his shield as the force of the object rammed into it, and then he took off into a sprint. Once he'd done so, he found himself heading toward a dead end in the form of a rock wall, and he had to stop. Spinning around so that his back was facing the rock wall, he knew the only good thing was that nothing could come at him from one side, and he crouched down with his shield held before himself protectively, trying to figure out which was he was going now.

His magical abilities exhausted themselves for the moment, and the darkness took over, disallowing him to see much of anything unless immediately before him. The sky wasn't visible through the thick fog of sand to even see the moon and stars, and Link leaned to the side as a rock hit the wall next to him, not phased by the fact that he could have just been smacked in the head and possibly killed. That didn't scare him, his mind too focused on how to get through this storm and find the entrance of the Temple when normally he'd know exactly where he was.

Now he was lost amidst the chaos for the moment, still crouching when a Leever came at him and slammed an arm into his shield, which protected him before the Leever burrowed again, but Link felt sand shifting beneath his feet, and he was forced to roll out of the way again. Taking the threat out, he drew in a breath and looked about, trying to find some means of travel. He glanced to his left, and then his right, and when he looked in that direction, having rolled closer to it because of the Leever's attack, he spied a rocky floor close to him near the wall his back was currently against.

When he saw it, he realized some of the sand beneath his feet was starting to cave in again another Leever burrowed up beneath his feet, and so he pushed himself forward and toward the rock floor. The aggressive plants began to give chase, and a spike cut the back end of his robe off as he leapt onto the hard rock surface that would prevent the creatures from reaching him.

Glancing back, seeing the Leevers burrowing beneath the sand again, Link smirked over his evasion, and then looked ahead. He had two points of protection now, the rock beneath his feet, and the one to his back, leaning up against the wall behind himself for a moment of shielded rest so that perhaps he could regain a little of his magical abilities when he felt a bit of crumbling and heard a thud of rock.

With narrowed brows, he turned his head to look back at the wall behind himself. Reaching his hand back toward it, holding onto the Master Sword in his fist, he pushed against it. More of the rock crumbled away, and a light from behind the wall started shining out of the hole. Tilting his head to the side, he his fist forward, and using the power the gauntlets he wore aided him with, he smashed it back into the wall with a resounding thud. A crack starting forming in it as he stepped away from the spot where his fist had impacted it, spreading upwards until the wall began to crumble down completely, leaving him to face what appeared to be a hidden cave.

Deciding to seek refuge inside for just a moment and find out where the light was coming from inside of it, Link moved, keeping ready with his weapons incase there was an enemy waiting for him within the cave he'd just found.

The light seemed to be shining from the end of the tunnel, an orange color softly, as if there was a fire close by, and Link tilted his masked face in curiosity. Coming around the corner, the cave revealed the source of the light he'd seen. Torches stood at the top of columns surrounding around a square caldron upon the floor. At the front of the cauldron was the symbol of the Triforce, just like the fairy cave Nissa had let him and Zelda to before they'd reached Lake Hylia. The biggest difference was that instead of water, there was an orange mist in the pool.

Link couldn't help a smirk, pushing his mask up on top of his head while he moved toward the symbol and placed his hand atop it in order to summon the Fairy Maiden that resided here, and he watched as the orange mist grew brighter when his fingers made contact with the stone. A soft giggle sounded, and the mist formed up into a maiden whose body was completely orange and her butterfly's wings fluttered gracefully.

Looking over and down at Link, she lowered herself closer to his height level and smiled, waving a single hand at him. "You must be Link. I've heard of you from my sister."

"The Maiden of Lake Hylia, right?," he asked her in response.

"Yes," she nodded, "I am the Fairy Maiden of the Desert. Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise," Link nodded respectfully. "I came across your cave by accident. I was trying to navigate a sandstorm to the Temple of Spirit when my light failed."

The fairy giggled softly, flying toward him and folding her hands behind her back as she leaned forward in midair as if inspecting him. Link looked himself over in the brown robes while she did this, then back to her when she said, "You know, my sister was right. You _are_ handsome." She waved her hands back and forth after telling him so with a snicker, adding the words, "Don't worry, I just had to see for myself. But, back to what you were saying. Lost, hmm? Well, I can aide you if you'd like. Oh, and where's your companion? Princess Zelda. I would like to meet her."

"I would greatly appreciate your help, my lady," Link started, then informed her, "Zelda isn't here though. She was abducted by an evil copy of myself. That's why I need to find the Temple, because he took her there. If it were daytime, I'd be able to find it easier, however, the sandstorm seems to be caused by something unnatural, and since it's night, it's just that much worse."

"Abducted!?," The Maiden gave a stern look, "How rude! In that case, I hope you'll find her and bring her back here sometime. I'd like to give her a gift. But you're right about the storm, I can sense it. The King of Evil has caused many problems, and this is but one of them. In the meantime however, I will replenish all of your strength, and add to it, so that you may have an easier fight and save her more quickly from being harmed."

With the words, the Maiden lifted into the air and spun in a circle, waving her hands to the side as she sent particles of energy toward Link in order to do as she'd said she would. Link could feel himself stronger for it again, very grateful he'd found the cave in his searching for the Temple entrance, wondering how she might help him find it.

Once she'd strengthened him again, she told him before fading away, "To reach the Temple, take three stones right, turn left to a rock island, and you'll see the light."

Disappearing, from sight that was, Link looked to the side and thought her verse over. Three stones right, left to a rock island, he mused in his thoughts. Rock island. Somehow that sounded familiar. With the words, he thought back to when he was a child, and had found the temple. About thirty feet before the entrance was a rock jutting up from the sand he'd climbed up onto, and with recognition dawning on him, he turned to face the corridor he'd entered the cave from.

Moving toward it, lowering his mask again, he thanked the Desert Fairy Maiden in his head and moved on. Now he knew exactly where to go.

---

The rock rose out of the sand like a beacon as Link pulled himself up onto it from the desert floor amidst the whipping winds. Three stones right had been rocks similar to the one he was standing on when he'd left the Fairy Cave, all placed along the wall he'd found his dead end at, several yards apart. Once he'd reached the third stone, he looked to his left, away from the rock wall he'd been navigating against, and headed in that direction, seeing nothing at first, but eventually, he found it; the rock island on which he now stood.

The Leevers, Link had determined, were an immense annoyance, wouldn't leave him alone whenever he was on the sand, and as he climbed onto the rock jutting up out of the surface of the desert floor and more of the creatures burrowed again behind him, he took comfort in the fact that for now they wouldn't be bothering him. Ignoring the annoying pests while he was there, he looked for the light the Fairy Maiden had mentioned.

Peering off into the distance, able to see a bit more again due to his replenished magical energies charging the light he'd created for himself, not to mention the Maiden had granted him more magic energy to boot, Link spied three lights in a triangular fashion toward the highest point of the rock as he stepped up onto it, telling him he'd gone exactly where he needed to.

Sword in hand, shield on his arm, he smirked and then looked down before he jumped toward the sand again, rolling to the side immediately as a Leever tried to rise up right beneath him as if it knew he was coming.

Link didn't waste his time with the creatures, moving swiftly toward the three lights, and more and more, he could see the rock walls housing the Spirit Temple coming into view with the large monument carved above it of the Triforce. Pushing onwards until he'd reached the steps, he moved up them and toward the doors, finding that they were already open due to, more than likely, his mimicry's interference. Link tried not to think about it though, and pushed them open, walking into the entryway of the large atrium he now found himself in.

The columns and statues decorating the walls were all gothic in style, the floors decorated with criss-crossed tiles, painting a decorative surface onto the floor with different colors. Above him, a long balcony type walkway connection two doors on the second floor overlooked the chamber that had no stairs or ladder going up to it, leaving Link to guess that another path was located elsewhere. As his eyes scanned that balcony above him though while he untied his robe, pulling it off and letting it fall into a pile on the floor around his feet, tugging his mask from his face, he heard the words, "Nice getup."

Link turned his head swiftly to the direction the voice had come from, and seeing, standing on the balcony, his dark copy emerging from the shadows, Link narrowed his brows and demanded without hesitation, "Where's Zelda!?"

"Pfft," Dark Link drew out, leaning against a column with his arms crossed over his chest. "She's safe, where else? I had a nice little talk with her earlier about everything, and I think she's warming up to me," he grinned. "Jealous?"

"Of what?" Link replied without missing a beat, stepping forward. "Why don't you come down here since you're so superior to me and show me why I should be. Or do you want to throw some more magic at me and run away. Yet _again_," he added dully.

Dark Link smirked over the insult thrown at him, and he shrugged, "Nah, I'd rather watch you try to figure out this Temple first, save my strength, and go have some private time with Zelda again while you're off figuring puzzles out. I'm sure I'll have her squealing cutely by the time you find her." He added and turned to walk away.

The words made Link more angry than he cared to admit, and he narrowed his brows and decided, as Dark Link tried to head off, that now was the best time of any to show him exactly how much business he meant. It took a little will power, but focusing on it the same as he'd done with the light to see in the sandstorm outside, three orbs of light formed in the air and took off swiftly after the mimicry. These, however, were white instead of black as the ones that his mirror had attacked him with earlier in the Valley had been.

Dark Link was caught off guard by the sudden attack, jumping out of the way just as the orbs smashed into the floor near him, knocking him to the side with the force of the blow.

Link felt heavily weakened after summoning so much of the power he had vested in himself, and he wondered if the same happened to Dark Link after performing the task. He'd have to really be careful of his magic usage now. But he didn't regret the opportunity to hurt the bastard he was currently after, though before he could consider anything at all, he heard Dark Link saying, "Hmm, I didn't think you'd figure out how to do that so soon."

The mimicry pushed himself up, dusting his black and white clothing off before adding the words, "I guess you could say I was surprised you had it in you at all when I discovered it. Must be a hereditary trait."

Link rolled his eyes, then reminded his mirror, "Like you told me, you of all people should know exactly what I've got up my sleeve."

Dark Link, grinning down at him when he'd said that, just waved a hand and told him, "Well, if that's the reaction I'm going to get every time I mention something to do with your dearly beloved Princess, I just want you to remember this one thing."

Dark Link paused for just a moment, stepping to the side, looking down at his light half before he began again meaningfully, "When you find Zelda, and she's all warmed up to me, or I've been forced to hurt her again for not cooperating, just remember that you're the reason I want her so badly to begin with."

Dark Link didn't stick around after he'd spoken those words, turning and leaving through a set of doors to the right of the balcony he was standing on, and Link took a few steps forward before he stopped himself, then fisted his left hand and slammed the side of it into a column next to himself. His anger only abating slightly because of the move which had cracked the column, Link turned and tried to calm himself down, knowing he'd need to if he were going to get through this and rescue Zelda before any harm could come to her at the evil mimicry's, or anything else's, hands.

Sighing out his breath, Link moved to the only doors that were located in the entryway at the back of the room, and he drew his sword before he pushed them open. Whatever lay beyond them he was now determined to overcome.


	55. Temple of Spirit II

_Chapter 54 - Temple of Spirit II_

Link didn't think he'd ever see tiles rising up out of the floor to go flying at him, but this Temple seemed to have a vendetta against him in that arena. Another problem he had were the suits of armor. Not all of them, but most of them seemed to want to come to life and attack him, slowing his progress down a good bit. One of them, a particularly large one with a huge battle axe, gave Link enough trouble that Link had to drink some of the potion he'd brought along with himself afterwards in order to regain his strength more quickly before he moved on.

Finding himself winded, on the floor after the engaging fight with the enormously strong Iron Knuckle, Link took just a moment to gather his breath, standing from where he'd been on his knees as the potion refreshed him. One thing he'd found to be useful in this Temple was the boomerang he'd gotten for his birthday. It had helped him with various sand entities that had risen up from broken tiles in the floors and the orbs they liked to shoot out at him when he was too preoccupied with a bigger, stronger enemies to take care of them directly.

Looking about the room quietly, he found a key where the suit of armor had initially been standing, and he walked over to it, pulling it up from the floor, inspecting the golden jeweled item quietly. Thankfully he could unlock a previous door he'd passed earlier, and hopefully make it up to the second level of the Temple now instead of residing back and forth between the third, fourth, and first levels.

More specifically, the walkway where he'd seen his shadow residing when he'd first entered.

Heading back that way, walking up the set of spiral stairs he'd found in the left wing of the Temple that led to the area he'd suspected the walkway to be locked behind, stopping at the locked and chained door at the top, Link pulled the key out of his pouch and inserted it before turning it. When he did, the chains began to fall away and he took the knob into his hand and twisted it, slowly and quietly pushing the door to.

As he suspected, the room beyond it was the second level of the entryway, now making his way across the balcony where his mimicry had been before. Realizing this, Link felt more determination rushing through him, knowing he was getting closer to his destination and ultimately to Zelda.

On the other side of the walkway and beyond the door that Dark Link had disappeared through a while beforehand waited what Link would call a room full of irony - a chamber of mirrors. They were all shapes and sizes, some lining walls, others standing on two legs, set next to each other to form a wall of their own, making a maze and reflecting his form as he moved past them. Large candelabra's at the top of the room made of silver gave a good amount of light to the chamber, since it was reflected back and forth between each mirror, giving the room a kind of ethereal, silver glint in feel.

Reaching up and gripping the hilt of his sword out of wariness alone that something could happen despite the beauty that the room portrayed, Link started moving slowly through the maze. After all, Dark Link had been birthed from a cursed mirror that Link had walked through in order to enter the Lost Woods, and if one of these mirrors created a second mimicry of him, he was going to get _really_ angry.

Making his way through the maze of mirrors, Link stepped carefully and watched the reflections quietly. The good thing was that he could see all sides of himself at all times with so many mirrors surrounding him. The bad thing was that with so much movement, it would be hard to detect a true source of danger should a threat come at him. He kept that in mind while he walked.

It wasn't long before he heard a soft snicker, and recognizing the sound of his own voice, he sighed out his breath quietly. The dome shaped roof of the chamber made the sound echo a slight bit, oddly enough repeating itself like many of the mirrors around him repeated what they were showing. Rounding a corner, slowly looking the mirrors over, he saw dark half in more than one of them, rushing toward him without any kind of hesitation. The direction appeared to be from behind, so Link looked back briefly to make sure he was right, then ahead again, but when he did, the mimicry was gone.

Hearing the amused laugh, Link narrowed his brows and said, "Come out and show yourself. Stop playing around."

"Just look in a mirror and you'll see me," was the reply.

Grumbling, Link gave the same type of line, "I look a lot better than you do, it'll confuse me."

More laughter followed, and Link drew his sword out just incase he needed it, his shield on his right arm. Stepping through the maze again, he saw movement and he turned in the direction it had come from only to see that it was gone, and the only solace Link got was that if his shadow was here, then he wasn't harming Zelda.

"I'm surprised you got up here so fast. I figured that tin can might've given you more of a problem than that."

He was talking about Iron Knuckles, Link knew as much, replying, "He did hit hard if that's what you're hoping for, but not hard enough."

"Too bad," the voice came from closer to Link now, and Link looked back, seeing in three mirrors a different reflection rushing him, adding the words, "that's _exactly_ what I was hoping for."

Link spun around quickly and put up his shield as Dark Link's Master Sword came down onto it from behind, and Link shoved him back with a grunt of effort, swinging his own blade to the side and meeting it against his enemies with a loud metal clash. The blades pressed against one another, and Link sneered out, "What do you know, you came out for once."

Dark Link pushed his sword back, and then moved toward him with a swing that Link met, the song their blades played echoing like their words had before while Dark Link responded, "Too bad for you, isn't it?"

Their reflections danced around them as they moved about each other, blows equally matched in strength and speed, their evasions just as quick and precise. Each sword was like a mirror in itself, reflecting the blow its opposite made, sparks flying whenever the metal clashed.

As if to prove himself right, Link had to step back when his opponent got the upper hand, his blade flying up past Link's chest vertically, and the movement left Dark Link's side open, which Link went for. The shadow brought up his shield though, blocking the blow, then countered, making Link have to raise his own. With their blades against each others shields, blue eyes meeting red, holding the position for a moment as they struggled for dominancy, the both of them finally managing after a moment of glaring at one another to break the stalemate off by pushing their shields back evenly.

The movement caused them both to stumble back and away from one another. Breathing heavily, Link heard the question, "Why don't you just give up already? You're really starting to annoy me."

Pushing himself up onto his feet, drawing up his blade again, Link turned a narrowed gaze at the mimicry before he became the aggressor, rushing at Dark Link with the yelled words, "I was here first!"

Their swords clashed again, Link allowing his anger and determination to take over him for a moment, actually moving faster than Dark Link was able to keep up with due to the rush to defend himself. With quickly placed attacks from the left, then the right, he backed the mimicry up toward a mirror before his sword was stopped against a shield. This left Dark Link open, and balling his right fist, Link drew it up and slammed it into Dark Link's cheek as hard as he possibly could.

With a good bit of satisfaction, Link watched his copy fall to the side, and he didn't stop, quickly flipping his sword over in his hand to stab it down into the evil bastard's back. As the blade cut through the air, Dark Link rolled to his side quickly, the sword embedding itself into the stone floor next to him, and without hesitation he drew up his boot, kicking it into Link's shoulder, knocking the Hylian sideways.

Link forced himself to hang onto his sword as he was shoved so hard, and he crashed headfirst into a mirror, the glass slicing through the skin of his left temple, his windsock falling from his crown of blonde hair and landing on the floor nearby, stained with blood. Dazed for the moment, he only barely noticed Dark Link standing up and moving toward him, weapon drawn and ready. The movement was quick, and Link rolled out of the way before the sword could stab him, hearing more of the mirror breaking from being impaled behind him.

Coming to from his roll, Link looked back to see his clone turning toward him after jerking his sword from the area he'd impaled it at in the mirror, moving quickly to bring his sword around with a quick swipe to his enemy's head. As he did, Link held up his shield on his right arm, ignoring the clashing sound it made, and in his right hand, which he'd just drawn from the floor in the roll he'd performed to escape impalement, was the sharp tipped shard of a mirror. Holding his shield up to protect himself caused the tip of the shard to point at his enemy in his right hand, putting Link at the perfect position.

With a quick scrape of the metal blade Dark Link wielded across his shield, Link pushed himself forward and thrust his arm into Dark Link as hard as he could.

The shard went into Dark Link's abdomen, and the mimicry doubled forward on it. His eyes started glowing red, staring down at Link, who pulled his arm back roughly and then stabbed the shard forward again. The second strike hit the mimicry in his lower chest at his ribs. Dark Link couldn't move for a moment with the pain, and while they stood there, Link told him, "There's only one good thing about you looking like me." He pushed on the copy, leaving the shard where it was impaling him and stood up straight as black blood dribbled out of the mimicry's mouth.

Knowing this was a good chance, Link finished his statement as pushed himself forward, "I can see how bad it really hurts!," and, with a loud yell of anger, he moved to knock his shadow over and thrust his sword down into his chest.

Just before he could impale his enemy however, just as he was about to reach him, Dark Link held out his hand quickly and a black orb of magic formed and slammed into Link's chest, knocking him backwards across the room. Link's yell as he flew backwards was ended abruptly when his back crashed into a mirror, breaking it to pieces while he fell to the floor, and he groaned when his body stilled. His head and his back hurt now, but the worst pain came when he felt a blade stabbing down into his chest.

His eyes squeezed shut and his teeth clenched, Dark Link standing above him with his own injuries to tend to, releasing the hilt of the Master Sword replica he'd thrust into Link before falling to the side in a stumble. Gripping the shard sticking out of him into his hand, he tugged it out of his lower chest with a grunt before he threw the black bloodstained weapon to the ground, the clattering sounding while he glanced toward Link.

Seeing Link there, impaled on his blade, he made a weak grin, his breathing labored while he said, "You were here first...but I'll be here last."

Link stared at him, his blue eyes cold and icy, his lips parted for air which he felt he could barely get as blood dribbled from his mouth. He couldn't make a response to the words, his hand slipping down from where it had grabbed the blade jutting through his chest now, landing on the floor with a soft thud, and his head fell to the right side. Blood rolled down his face from his left temple, dripping through the air and down onto the back of his shield.

It was all over.

Dark Link watched with a satisfaction that made him laugh loudly. As much as his side hurt while he did so, the two punctures in his body bleeding profusely, he just continued on while he pushed himself up and stumbled away, leaving a bloody hand print on a mirror as he passed it on the way out of the chamber, coming to a stop when something caught his attention.

Glancing down, he saw Link's windsock and slowly reached for it, pulling it up from the floor. Too bad, he had to go tell Zelda now that her beloved had fallen. With that thought in mind, Dark Link turned and left Link's body laying there in the room to grow cold with his sword still embedded in Link's chest.

---

Zelda was still sitting where she'd been, quietly thinking. A chill had seem to envelope the room suddenly. Something must have been happening somewhere. She couldn't imagine what, but she got the most innate feeling that it had to do with Link.

Her blood felt frigid. She knew something was terribly wrong, and she just didn't want to admit it to herself. Sitting back quietly, she continued waiting for some type of absolution, having made up her mind over her considerations, and wondered if the next Link she saw would be good or evil. She could only hope good, but she got the feeling that just wouldn't be.

As it turned out, she was right.

The doors to the large chamber opened, and she looked up. When she did, she spied Dark Link walking slowly into the room, favoring his side and stumbling toward the dome she was concealed inside of. Apparently he'd been in a fight, and pushed herself up while she stared at him, watching the dome ripple as he stepped inside with her. His hand was covered in black blood, holding his side, and as she looked from the injury and to his face, she listened to his spoken words, "I have some bad news."

Zelda stepped back, watching as Dark Link pulled his opposite hand up and held out a green garment out toward her. She recognized it as Link's windsock, the sight causing her to gasp, moving forward to snatch it from his hand. He let her have it, lowering his arm again while she pulled it back to see that it was stained with blood.

As she stared at the clothe, his words hit her pointed ears, telling her, "I found him. Oddly enough, I didn't have anything to do with it like I thought I would have."

Zelda couldn't really listen to him in that moment. Dead? The word rang out in her mind, but she refused to believe it. She started shaking her head, tears streaming down her cheeks, yelling at Dark Link, "I don't believe you! If he's dead, then bring his body to me! I want to see it! Until then, I don't believe you!"

Her words ended on a sob, and taking a deep breath to try to calm herself down, she just couldn't because she somehow got the feeling that Dark Link wasn't lying, at least about him being dead anyway. She squeezed the hat tightly in her hands and pulled it to her face, uncaring if there was blood on it, crying harder than she ever had except when she was a child and thought Link had fallen to his death. She could smell Link's scent on it whenever she inhaled, and the scent just made it even worse, whimpering out that she didn't believe him over and over again.

Dark Link watched her, snorting over how she was acting, though he had to convince her now instead of waiting before his injuries got any worse, saying, "You know, it's not like you've lost him. You've still got me. Besides, if you want to see his body, just heal me and I'll be glad to bring it here for you."

Zelda slowly turned her face back toward him, her tear stained eyes staring both angrily as well as completely sadly at him. She still had _him_!? She couldn't even fathom the possibility, let alone imagine that her future would be saddled with the shadow standing before her now. He said he hadn't killed Link, but he was surprised that he hadn't, meaning he'd wanted to. And now he was asking her to heal him!?

She couldn't stop staring at him in disbelief, and she noticed something when she did. His sword was missing. The sight drew a chill from her very core, knowing that wherever Link was, it was with Dark Link's blade, and she reacted to the sight swiftly. Zelda used his weakness to her advantage and she pushed herself forward suddenly, moving toward him. As she did, her hands began to glow with a white magic to strengthen herself and she shoved him by planting her palms against his chest.

The result was a force of magic that knocked him through the barrier and onto the other side of it against the floor. Sliding to a stop, breathing heavily, Dark Link turned a sneered face at her and pushed himself forward again. Zelda stepped back with a defiant look on her face as he tried to walk back into the barrier once more, but it only shocked him and knocked him away, causing him to fall to the side.

"_What!?_" He yelled the word angrily as he looked back at the dome, wondering why he couldn't pass through it a second time. As he tried to figure it out, her words hit his ears solemnly.

"I took a lesson from Myriad. If you want to keep me sealed in here, then I shall stay sealed in here, my healing abilities with me. I will not aide you, and I will not go with you. If Link is dead, then I'll go with no one."

With those words spoken, Zelda watched as Dark Link pushed himself up, glaring at her, becoming angry, and he planted his hand against the dome with a swirl of dark energy against it, trying to bring it down. She took in a breath and continued to reinforce the barrier with her own power against his, making it stand strong even though it wavered between them, and when it wouldn't break, her enemy let a yell of enragement and jerked his arm away. Holding her head up to watch him carefully, she saw him stumbling to the floor.

He was going to bleed to death, she knew that, and as he'd landed on his knees, with lowly made grunts and groans of pain his skin began to turn black, the red glow of his eyes fully encompassing the sclera, turning him almost completely, except for the clothing he wore and the white locks of hair, into a shadow with nothing more than glowing red eyes.

He stumbled back to his feet, apparently very unhappy with the turn of events as he turned a chilling glare in her direction before he began leaving the room. Zelda knew he was going to look for some means of healing himself before he could pass into oblivion, and as the doors to the chamber shut a second time, leaving her alone once more, she finally let herself fall weakly to her knees. Clutching the windsock in her hands, she squeezed it tightly and said a prayer.

_Please_, she thought to herself, _please be alive somehow, Link_.


	56. Temple of Spirit III

_**Author's Note**__: Just a note to let you guys know that yes, I did lose all of my files and I have to start over from scratch :( But I got my comp working again, though it did give me another stop fatal error thing, and in the meantime, just so I won't have to worry about it, I'm keeping all of the files for this story safe on my flash drive so I don't lose it again. I was REALLY scared with the last stop error because it happened just as I'd finished and saved this chapter, and so yeah, OMG HEART ATTACK X.X!!!_

_Anyways, finally, here it is, and I seriously hope you enjoy it!!! ^^_

---

_Chapter 55 - Temple of Spirit III_

Laying there, shards of the broken mirrors littering the floor around him, sword still impaled in his chest, the silence was broken by the sound of a door thudding as the one who'd stabbed him left the room. His blue eyes turned when that happened and his head lifted slowly. He hadn't been dead, oh no, simply playing opossum, as dangerous as that was in his current state of being. But it was the only way that he could get rid of his dark half in time to save what life he had left in him before it truly did die away.

Reaching up slowly with his right hand, he gripped the hilt of the sword impaling him, and using most of the strength he had left, he grunted and then let a yell as he tugged the weapon free, blood dribbling from his mouth as he bore his teeth together tightly, and the sword dislodged from his body, blood beginning to pour from his wound. With a loud clatter, the weapon fell to the floor to his right side, and Link's body slumped back limply. Trying to gasp in his breath, trying to keep breathing, he lifted his arm for his pouch with shaky, bloodstained fingers. In doing so, he managed to pull out the bottled pink fairy he'd received from Lake Hylia all that time ago.

She was about to come in _very_ handy.

It was a simple task turned tedious to get the cap off of the bottle, so instead of letting it slow him down, knowing he couldn't lose any time as he felt a numbness in his fingers and a cold chill settling in his limbs, he lifted the bottle as high as he could and smashed it down against the floor in order to break it, uncaring if he cut his hand in the process, though his gauntlet disallowed that from happening. He would be healed completely by the fairies magic, and his breath shuddered out, one that was fleeting quickly, feeling too weak to grasp for another one once it was gone.

The newly freed fairy inside of the bottle, now beneath his palm, lifted up and touched his skin just as he felt darkness consuming him. But the fleeting life that was leaving him imprinted on the fairy when she came into contact with his hand, and she rose up into the air before him swiftly and started flying in a spiral pattern around his body. The life began to float back down into him, refreshing and restoring the life he had almost lost before it could completely escape him.

Link felt strength filling his body once more, even though he was still covered in blood, his wounds started closing up, his eyes turning up to the pink fairy who was floating away peacefully now, her purpose served, and he couldn't have been more grateful for it. With a deep, even breath for the first time since he'd been stabbed, Link suddenly found a very small smile somehow, stemming from the knowledge that he wasn't dead yet, and could still continue on his quest in order to stop the evil spreading throughout Hyrule, keep hope from being completely lost. But oddly enough, in that moment, the heavy responsibility didn't seem as important as another he had to accomplish.

Instead, there was only one thing on his mind in that moment when he'd almost passed into oblivion; Zelda. Rescuing her seemed much more important to him than any other task in that moment, especially since, without her, even if the king and queen were alive, it all seemed meaningless to him. Hadinaru and Nissandra could reform the kingdom now, but Hyrule needed Zelda for its future - and he needed her for his.

His strength returned to him and his life replenished itself in his body, he pushed himself up from where he'd been slumped against the wall, those thoughts fueling his purpose now.

As he did, the mirror shards cracked beneath him when he moved his legs, and he looked to his right, spotting the replica of his sword laying next to himself on the floor which had almost killed him. With the thought, he reached for it. It was still stained with his blood, glinting as it was lifted up, and looking it over, he turned his face to the left. The one already at his side, the one he'd been using from the beginning, that he'd originally pulled from its pedestal in the Lost Woods and had started this all, was laying there on the floor as well, and he grabbed it too, comparing the both of them. There were no differences whatsoever, each seemed to be a mirror of the opposite, and Link decided he'd just have to take both with him. After all, the one that had almost killed him owed him a little something.

With the thought in mind, Link began pushing himself up slowly, his legs still wobbly, but returning to normal. Once standing on them again, he took in another breath, just glad to be able to do that one simple thing most people took for granted everyday alone, and then looked himself over. Blood stained the front and back of his green jerkin, but there was nothing to be done about that, and he didn't care to in that moment in time either. So instead of worrying, he just glanced up, when a mirror ahead of him caught his attention.

Turning his head to the side to glimpse his profile, he noticed his ponytail at the nape of his neck, and he narrowed his brows over the sight.

"He took my hat," Link grumbled out, then with a groan of annoyance, he started heading to the door he'd heard the mimicry leaving from just a few moments before he'd had his near death experience.

Finding it, he reached out and turned the knob, then pushed. The portal led him into a circular room sporting a winding staircase, and glancing up, then down, he realized it was a stairway he'd come across on the ground floor earlier, but couldn't reach, even with the hookshot, because the bottom half of the steps had apparently crumbled long ago.

Now he could make his way up them, and he wasted no time in doing so. His strength had returned to him completely, and he wanted to use it to get this done. Moving, he started heading up the steps and realized that it was a very long set of stairs. Thankfully he'd just used a fairy though, so despite the blood staining his crown and left temple, as well as the condition of his clothing, he felt completely ready for anything.

Finally reaching the top, Link came across a set of large double doors that had ornate patterns across them which reminded him of doors he'd seen in other Temples before, but those all had seals on them that Zelda had needed to break. The ominous feel the door set off in him told him that wherever the room led, it would be to the final fight he had to perform, and hopefully, to Zelda as well.

Preparing himself for the worst as he knew she could be hurt or in some type of peril and he didn't want the sight of such a thing to get him off guard at all, Link slowly gripped the handle, and with a deep breath, he pushed the door to. In doing so, he looked inside to see columns and statues with light illuminating the large chamber from torches settled above the statues heads, but that wasn't what drew his immediate attention. What got it were two entirely different things; the first of them was the Dark Orb he'd come to help Zelda destroy settled upon a sand pit in the middle of the room, and beyond it, a dome barrier.

Inside of it was settled the Hylian Princess herself, and Link couldn't help but call to her, "Zelda!"

Despite calling her name, he didn't move from where he stood, too afraid to rush to her because he wanted to know she was alright first before he triggered some kind of monster to attack him. After all, it seemed as if approaching Dark Orbs usually caused some type of monster to attack, and he wanted the piece of mind that she was fine before he got into a long, drawn out battle, especially since she was settled on her side against the floor, leaning on her arm, and he could have sworn he heard her sniffling.

"Zelda, are you okay?"

Hearing the voice asking her that, having slightly ignored it the first time because she was afraid it might have been someone she didn't want to see, Zelda gasped and stood up, spinning around to look at the man who'd called her name. Moving toward the wall, spying the Hylian in the green jerkin instead of in black, she replied without pause, "Link! You're alive!"

Apparently his shadow had come back here, and told her he'd killed him if her words were any indication. Link continued standing there, stepping slowly toward her, replying in question, "Of course I am, but where's the other one? Dead?"

"I don't know," she shook her head, "He could be, he left not too long ago, weakened."

Link finally started moving toward her when things remained calm and quiet in the room, and in drawing closer to her, Zelda could see the condition of his clothing, the fact that he looked like he'd been through hell and back, and probably had. Blood stained his left temple, smeared in some places and trailed in others, as well as the front left of his jerkin which was nearly covered completely. He carried two swords now as well, instead of just one - both the same - telling her she'd been right in her assumptions that Dark Link had been lying to her to try and get her to help him, not that it mattered any to begin with.

She couldn't help gasping his name softly over the evidence of the chaos he must've endured before he'd arrived there, asking him, "Link, what happened to you?"

"It's nothing," he shook his head, "I just needed a fairy's touch," he added with a little smile, deciding not to cover the topic with her right then. "Are you alright?"

He had to ask, seeing the way her eyes glistened and were a bit red because of tears, and she nodded, replying, "A little shaken up, but I'll be alright, now that you're here."

"Have _that_ much faith in me, do you?" He asked the question rhetorically, smirking over the notion that she might not when he knew for certain she did, considering it while he looked over the barrier she was inside of. Zelda couldn't help her own smile, his amusing comments about her faith in him and needing a fairy's touch proving to her just how alright he actually was. She felt better because of it all of the time, knowing all that was left now was to get the chance to hug him like she wanted to once she was free, and as she considered it, he asked, "Did he put this around you?"

"Yes, but I reinforced it with my own magic to keep him from coming inside and demanding that I heal his wounds since he was trying to convince me that he wasn't the cause of your supposed death."

With a smile over her actions and an eye roll over Dark Link's lie, Link put his left hand on the hilt of the sword on his back and told her somewhat playfully, "That's my girl, must've taken a lesson from my mother," he smirked.

"Well, the thought did help," Zelda replied with a little smile of her own as Link drew his sword from its sheath.

Somehow, he got the feeling that attacking the magical dome surrounding her with the two blades he wielded might bring it down, and he told her, "Step back," before he raised his arm.

Zelda did as he'd as he asked her to, taking a few steps back so that he could break the dome without her being in the way, and while his arm lifted in order to do so, the floor began trembling. It stopped him from moving, and distracted the both of them from the task at hand.

So, _that_ was the trigger that set it off, Link thought to himself before turning around and looking toward the Dark Orb settled in the center of the room over the massive sand pit as the rumbling began. Link and Zelda both watched the sand opening up beneath the orb, sucking it down slowly, until the sphere was completely gone from sight, and things began to get quiet and calm for a moment.

Link stepped away from the dome Zelda was encased in, and when she saw him doing so, she asked, "Link?" She'd thought he might go ahead and destroy the barrier so that she could help him, and was curious if he would or not.

"Whatever you do, don't stop reinforcing that dome," he informed her, "if you're safe inside of it, I'd rather you stay safe."

Zelda took in a breath, somewhat annoyed, but at the same time, she knew why he'd said that. After all, with as much as she'd been scared for his safety, she knew he had to have been worried for her own just as much. But her thoughts were interrupted along with the quiet in the room when the sand shot up from the pit where the Dark Orb had just been in the form of an arm. As it raised into the air and shot the grainy material out around it, the fist at the end opened its fingers as the arm turned and settled against the floor, pushing up more of the sand which took the shape of a faceless head, then a shoulder, and another arm, rising to a good twenty five feet in height, towering above the two of them.

Link just sneered up at the monster, undaunted in the face of the new danger, and he told Zelda, "Definitely stay in that dome."

Zelda was choice less in the matter either way it went, though she could have stopped reinforcing it, but it still would have contained her where she was. So instead, she did as he asked out of respect for his wishes, and just watched the scene unfolding before her as Link, holding both blades in his hands, moved toward the massive monster warily, looking up when they both heard a loud whirring sound coming from above them. Close to the ceiling, formed four glowing orbs the color of gold, and the sight reminded Link of the sand entities he'd roamed across in the Temple beforehand, which he'd used the boomerang to take out.

These appeared to be a bit different though because instead of just randomly shooting out beams of energy, they charged one single beam up and began to shoot them down at the floor around him, moving slowly in different patterns about the chamber, especially over the area where Link stood before the Sandman now, telling him that his boomerang may come in handy again.

Looking up toward the Sandman, he watched it balling its fist while raising it into the air. Link narrowed his brows at the ready, watching the fist come crashing down where he'd stood, and he rolled to the side to evade it before turning, swiping both blades through the fist that hand smashed at the floor behind him again and again, using the power of two Master Swords to cut through it. With them both, it didn't take long for the powerful strikes to cause the Sandman to let an odd sounding bellow before he lifted his arm back, the fist crumbling away from the limb in a sandy collapse of structure.

Seeing this, Link smirked, supposing he'd have to take apart the monster piece by piece, and he kept the thought in mind when he heard a buzzing energy and looked to see a beam of light heading toward him. Turning, he stabbed the replica of his sword down into the floor with his right hand and reached into his hammer bag for his boomerang, taking several steps back and swinging his arm out.

The weapon went flying in a spin through the air, slamming into the orb, causing it to slow down in its pace and then head away from him in the opposite direction. Link waited diligently as his weapon flew back toward him while a fist was coming down near him, and taking off running, he jumped and grabbed the boomerang in midair before the Sandman could crush him. Twisting the upper half of his body, he threw the weapon again before his feet hit the ground at a second orb that had closed in on his position to make it do the same thing as the first had, and back off from endangering him.

Having landed on the other side of the Sandman's arm after the monster had tried to crush him a second time, Link watched the creature lift his fist and look beneath it as if he were uncertain where his target might have gone to, and in his distraction, Link charged the fist, attacking it with one blade instead of two this time.

Feeling the attacks, the Sandman lifted his hand before Link could cause it much damage, and with the fist out of reach for the moment, Link lifted his right hand to catch the Boomerang that had just flown back to him. Simultaneously, he saw the fist less opposite arm of the Sandman being swiped toward him quickly in order to try to knock him over.

Link took off sprinting toward it and jumped, planting his boot into the sand wrist of the arm and pushing himself off before he tossed the boomerang at another orb in midair again, trying to steadily keep the beam shooting lights from returning to cause him any damage once they'd hit the walls and started heading back toward where he was concentrating his attacks against the more threatening foe in the chamber.

When he landed again while the Boomerang flew, the second Master Sword was about five feet away from him, and he was forced to duck and roll for it when a shadow encompassed him, followed by another pounded fist down onto his previous position. With his right hand grasping the hilt and pulling it free of the floor, Link turned and stopped his momentum by leaning forward on his feet before heading back to the fist which he once again began to attack with two blades.

As before, the increased power helped to take off the second wrist much more quickly, and as the Sandman lifted his second arm with another bellow, he slowly slumped back and went still for a moment. Link used the stupor the oversized monster had gone into to jump up onto a sand arm settled close to him and started running up toward his head, tearing both blades into the side of the creatures neck once he got to the shoulder. He landed strike after strike against the monster before he felt a jolt beneath his feet and the Sandman lifted his head again from his stupor.

Trying to steady himself while the shoulder moved, Link could see the creature once more using the gritty material it was made of in order to reform his fists at the ends of his arms, and once things finally became still, Link turned to jump off of the shoulder on which he'd been standing before he could be swatted at, but instead, he was suddenly caught in midair as he fell toward the floor below.

The Sandman began lifting him out into midair, and Link could hear Zelda's soft gasp from behind him as the fist began to squeeze, making him cringe in pain, trying to find a means to breath through the tightness. As Zelda watched, she saw what the Sandman was doing, and Link wasn't oblivious either. One of the orbs shooting the beams down at the floor was heading toward him now, and the monster who held him captive was trying to put him in the path of the ray of energy.

With this new threat, Zelda closed her eyes, finally finding a way to aide her returned Hero instead of being stuck where she was so safely and helplessly. Lifting her locked fists before her face, a blue light began to waver out from her body while she slowly drew her hands apart, and with a soft whirring, as the beam almost began to hit him, around Link formed a spherical dome, one which, when the beam shot down onto it, reflected the ray off of Link and away from him, right into the Sandman's head.

Link felt the fist loosening its grip, and he fell to the floor when it did. Landing on his feet as the Sandman bellowed again and put his hand up because of the hit he had just endured, Link got an idea, and unknowing how long the spell that Zelda had cast on him would last, he quickly put it to work.

Before the monster could recover, Link ran toward one of the beams of light shooting from the orbs above him now in order to reflect the blasts of energy again. As he did, he stepped to the side carefully until the beam was hitting the Sandman directly, reflecting the ray toward him and up into its head, causing him to jolt.

Link began to step along with the beam as the orb above him moved, careful in order to keep it firing into the oversized monster consistently, and as he continued, the Sandman started to lose some of his form. It was then that Link realized Zelda's shield was fading from around him. Zelda herself watched, smiling over the strategy that had come from the shielding she'd put around him without realizing the kind of effect it could have had, and she saw it fading, she knew she wouldn't be able to cast it again, most of her magical abilities already consumed due to the power she'd used to reinforce the barrier, still rebuilding itself now.

But the damage needed had been done, and Link decided to finish this thing the way he'd finished all of the others - with his sword. Or, in this case, _swords_.

With that determination in mind, Link took off toward the belly of the creature, and with a cry of attack, he drew the blades back and forth against the Sandman's torso in succession. Sand flew away from the creature with each swipe of metal tearing into him, and as Link worked, the blades of the swords began to glow brightly with the power the one wielding them possessed charging into them. Without pause, he attacked so vigorously that he began to dome out a part of the abdomen, a dome he stepped into and he kept going, even as a wall of sand formed up behind him in the monster's attempt to keep its power though he was already doomed, sealing his enemy up for the moment.

Zelda watched Link disappearing from sight inside of the creature, and Link, making his way to the center of the pit, turned both blades in his hands so the tips were pointed toward the ground. With a yell of effort, he stabbed the glowing blades down into the sand floor, the energy that he'd charged them with expelling out and upward into the monster he was overcoming.

Zelda stood back out of habit alone as the Sandman started shaking and she felt the floor vibrating, watching bright bursts of light from inside of the beast blowing away chunks of his form. The orbs near the ceiling began dispersing, the power tearing up and through the creature who'd been opposing them until finally, becoming stiff, the entire mountain of living sand came apart in an eruption, flying away from Link who knelt there in the pit with both swords in hand embedded into the sand by each of his legs.

Things became quiet and calm again, just a rain of sand tapping downward slowly as it fell from where it had once been alive, landing around Link as he stood back up straight, jerking both blades from the floor. His hair had come completely free of the ponytail due to the fight he'd engaged in, and he shook it off of the sand that had fallen into it.

Once again, his resiliency and drive never ceased to amaze Zelda, even though she already knew he was capable of such feats, and with those thoughts came another rumble in the floor while Link stepped back. From the sand emerged the Dark Orb that had been hidden from them both earlier, and Zelda looked from it and to Link, seeing a little victory smile lighting his face as he took in a deep breath and looked across the room back at her.

Now he had one task left.

With a step of determination to completely finish this and leave, he began heading toward her, and somehow, watching him as he came to break down the barrier and free her now, Zelda felt her heart skipping a beat. She knew that now was definitely not the time for romantic sentiments, but she really couldn't help herself. Somehow, the sight of him after everything she'd just witnessed him doing simply disallowed her not to consider those sentiment, feeling embarrassed even as he headed toward her.

She still clutched his bloody windsock in her fingers and tried not to show that embarrassment on her face as he neared the dome, though she was blushing a little, supposing that she never stop being rather amazed over the feats she knew he could perform, but was still awed every time she saw them. It was somewhat intimidating, and even still, as she had such praising thoughts of him running through her mind, he still seemed to take it all with a grain of salt - or sand in this case - when he next spoke so casually to her.

"Ready to get out of there?," he asked as he stopped before the dome.

Not trusting her voice to speak, Zelda nodded her head at him, stepping back like he'd told her to begin with, and Link looked at the barrier before he began to raise his swords against it. Striking them toward the barrier and through it, both in the same direction, then one from the left and the right at once, crossing his arms, the barrier started to waver, and with one final swipe back in the opposite direction, he drew his arms apart and spread out, the blades cutting through the magic and breaking it away like a shattering of glass, each piece spinning through the air before dispersing into nothing, setting Zelda free finally.

Zelda didn't hesitate, and before Link could push himself up again once the dome was gone, he found her hugging him tightly, an embrace he just returned without worry of anything in that moment trying to cause either of them harm. Putting his arms around her while still gripping the swords for the moment, he smiled and lowered his head next to hers, but before he could speak, he heard her sniffling. Narrowing curious brows, he tilted his face to the side and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she nodded, "I just really thought...," she trailed off, then pulled an arm back, showing him the hat that Dark Link had brought her. "I honestly thought you were dead."

Seeing the windsock in her hand, Link looked back at her face, and he told her the truth, "I almost was. I pretended though so I could save my life and make him eat his words."

"What words?" She asked, wiping her eyes before she reached her arms around him and put the windsock back onto his head, placing it carefully over his hair.

"He said he'd be the last one here," Link shrugged, "I think he was wrong. But I'm fine, and I'm more concerned about you right now."

With his hat back on his head again, Zelda lowered her hands and drew them around to his sides, nodding slowly as she looked up at him. She felt more than ready to give him a kiss but she was hesitant, though she saw the sentiments shared whenever he leaned down to give her one. Letting her eyes drift shut, they were almost there when the sound of the door opening caught their attention and they both looked over to see a shadow with dull red eyes standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame, doubled over and panting.

Link turned to place himself between Zelda and his returned mimicry, still alive, though it was apparent he was, indeed, dying, and had found no means of reversing that fact. He was completely shadowed out now, every bit of him, except for the red of his two slanted eyes, pushing himself from the door with a very chilling groan that wasn't human by any standards, heading toward Link once more as if he still would have him done in even after all of this.

Seeing this, Link moved away from Zelda and toward his shadow, ready to finally be done and rid of him, letting an angry yell as he reached the weakened entity, and slashed his blade, the true Master Sword, at Dark Link's throat. The blow knocked the shadow backwards, standing there with his arms hanging behind him, and the dark energy that had created him began dispersing, lifting up and culminating into a weakened power radiating above him.

As Link stared up at it, then looked at his right hand where the replica was held as it began to disperse as well and fade away, leaving nothing between his fingers. Lowering his arm once it was gone, he glanced back to the fading dark magic, hearing some kind of whir sounding from it when he did while he stepped back away from it. Before he could move completely however, the energy suddenly moved down toward him, flying directly into him with such a swift force that it knocked him backwards.

"Link!"

Zelda gasped and moved toward him when he'd been knocked across the floor and slid to a short stop. Coming over and kneeling down, she pressed her hand behind his head in order to lift it up, hearing him groan in the process. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he told her somewhat breathlessly, and reached for her hand when she placed it on his cheek as he sat forward. Looking over at her, taking in his breath to be sure, he nodded, adding, "Just hit me hard is all."

Zelda nodded in relief, taking his hand and helping him to stand up again as she spoke, "Come on then, let's go destroy the orb before anything else can happen."

Seeing him nod, she turned to head over to the orb with her hand in his. After a few steps, she felt Link stop in his movements. The result was a slight tug on the arm of the hand he held, stopping her from progressing toward the Orb they'd both come to destroy for the moment. The movement got her attention, and looking back, Zelda shook her head slowly, "Link? What is it?"

She didn't get an answer at first. Instead, he tugged her toward himself, and as she came closer, she reached up to his cheek in worry that he might not be alright after all. Placing her hand there, she stared up at his eyes and shook her head, "What?"

Link just stared at her, quietly at first, and then slowly, a smile began to light his lips. Curious over what he was smiling about, Zelda suddenly spied his eyes going red, and her own went wide in response with a gasp, not knowing what happened as he pulled her over and spun her around, pushing her down onto the floor beneath him. She only knew she found herself there without warning, and she stared up at him in fear and surprise.

"Link!? Your eyes...they're..."

"Just like they need to be," he said before he leaned down and cought her mouth in a brusing kiss that wasn't pleasant at all. Zelda tensed beneath him and dug her fingers into his shoulders to push him off of her, and as he broke the kiss, he added the words, "Full of you, like you're about to be of me. Just before I see you and him both dead."


	57. Rise of Power

_Chapter 56 - Rise of Power_

The words that had just hit Zelda's ears made a frigid chill run through her blood, unable to believe what she was hearing, as well as seeing. He'd been possessed by the evil that had created his mirror, and she wasn't at all sure how to respond to that. But as it turned out, she didn't have much time to think on it anyway. He didn't give her that luxury, reaching to grip her throat tightly, too tightly to breath properly, while his opposite hand grabbed for the white bodice of her gown burgundy gown.

Zelda gripped both of his wrists to try and stop him from what he was doing, still too magically exhausted to get away from him by any manner of teleportation, and on the same token, was unable to use any attacks currently. However, the magic to attack would come sooner than for any other type of spell she could cast since it took a bit less to perform than defensive magics usually did. Though, she would much rather not harm him at all if she could help it considering it _was_ Link who had her pinned now, and not the mimicry that had abducted her, just its evil controlling his actions now.

But she let a choked yell when her bodice ripped apart, tugged open violently, exposing her breasts, one of which he grabbed, painfully squeezing it. Zelda let go of his wrist and started hitting her fist into his side which did very little good, her eyes shutting tightly as he leaned down and caught her nipple between his teeth to scrape over it, making her yell again, trying to get out his name

"Li...Link...stop!"

He lifted his head and smirked down at her, his eyes still red, and she heard him asking, "Why should I? Don't you love me anymore?"

As he'd leaned up, it gave her a good opportunity, and Zelda lifted her hand back and slapped him as hard as she could, so hard in fact that her nails left a few scratches across his cheek, his head flying to the side. The evil that had infested him was weak enough that the slap made him jolt somewhere in his mind for a moment, realizing he'd been overcome, his eyes becoming the same blue color they normally were for only a moment before they went red again when he looked back down at her.

He looked angry, but somehow strained in a way before he cringed again and shut his eyes tightly. He was fighting it, the grip on her neck loosening, allowing her to try to help him with words, speaking to him, "Link, fight it, don't let him do this to you!"

She'd pushed herself up onto her elbows since his grip had loosened, pulling his hand from her throat while he fought against the evil trying to possess him, but he suddenly grabbed it again, making her gasp as he forced her back down, opening his still red eyes, and once she was on her back, he let go of her throat and raised an arm, slapping her across the cheek where the sore bruise was forming from the first backhand she'd received before she'd been abducted. Like before, Zelda felt herself dazed from the blow, whimpering softly as she heard more clothing ripping but felt helpless to do anything about it. The skirt of her dress began coming open to allow the cool air of the room to brush across her legs, ripping all the way up to her thighs. Her eyes opened, and she tried to focus even though her head was throbbing, but the movement stopped again without warning.

Link could feel the evil trying to guide his actions, and he was well aware of the intentions that entity had for the both of them, to take Zelda against her will and then kill the both of them. Not only that, but he himself felt incredibly angry over how this evil was trying to drive him to treat Zelda. He focused on her face as she lay there, slowly coming to from the stupor she'd been slapped into, a trail of blood lining the corner of her mouth. _He_ wanted to apologize to her, do something to make it better, but that evil still trying to control him, though not powerful enough to do so altogether, wanted to shove something between those soft lips.

Link let a yell of force as he struggled inwardly, but he realized that it was going to have to be driven from him with some type of opposing magic. Some type of white magic would have done the trick, but before he could say anything more, he found himself gripping her thighs and pulling her legs up and around his hips with a hard jerk. Once they were in place, he grabbed the belt of his pants beneath his green jerkin in order to open it.

Zelda, who'd just about pushed herself up again, let a cry of both fear and uncertainty when this happened. As she'd laid there reeling, she'd come to a similar conclusion of getting rid of the evil infesting Link, to use a charge of white magic which she now felt capable enough to accomplish, but he'd grabbed her and parted her legs around him before going for his belt.

Before she could grab him, he'd gotten the belt undone, and he gripped her wrists. Pushing, Link leaned up over her, pinning her wrists above her head. She could feel him between her thighs, pressed firmly there against her, though he hadn't penetrated her - yet - and while she knew she wanted to give herself to him, this definitely wasn't how she wanted it to be. He was going to hurt her, kill her and himself once all of this was said and done, and she couldn't stop the vivid reaction she gave him. Locked in that position for a moment, tears flooding her eyes, she screamed, "Link! Stop! I know this isn't you, stop it!"

He'd gone still again, and while she could see that despite his struggles, something in him was still falling prey to the control, he grunted out, "Zelda..."

"Link," she whispered, and twisted at one of her wrists while he helped her to free it by fighting the entity seeking to control him. Finally, she managed to wring her wrist free before she pulled her arm down and planted her palm against his chest, over his heart, a wave of white energy bursting up into him, the force of which knocked him backwards and completely off of her.

With his weight completely gone from pinning her down, Zelda rolled onto her side, looking over at him while he laid there completely still. Despite her dizziness, she sat up slowly, watching as Link's body convulsed and contorted, seeing the black mist of energy as it rose from him like an actual shadow which was trying to struggle to remain within him. His body glowed white with the magical force she'd filled him with, ridding him of the entity completely, which was finally vanquished and lifted away, dispersing into nothingness completely.

Link's body fell back against the floor, going limp, and the glow began to fade away. Without notice, tears flooded Zelda's eyes and she sobbed them out before covering her mouth before she could she could make much sound, trying to contain herself in the moment.

When she did, she noticed him moving, rolling over onto his side before drawing a knee beneath himself. He let a low groan, feeling dizzy from the spell she'd hit him with, but he pushed all of that out of the way before turning to glance over at her.

"L-Link?"

Link would have responded, but he saw the state she was in. His purely blue eyes took in the sight with an anguished expression, the top of her dress completely ruined, the only thing offer her legs any real cover being the bottom of a slip she'd worn, the skirt of her gown ripped away almost completely. The worst part of it all was when he knew that he'd done that to her, and he couldn't move from where he'd sat, at least, not until she moved.

Zelda pushed herself toward him as she sniffled, and despite the fact that he knew he was to blame for her current state, he couldn't let her move alone, especially not with the current condition of her clothing, reaching out for her and taking her into a tight embrace as he pushed himself up to his knees. Zelda pressed her hands against his chest and buried her face in his jerkin, sobbing against him over what had happened.

Link was feeling near tears himself, especially listening to her crying. What had he done!? Despite the fact that he felt as low as any creature crawling across the lands could get in that moment, and completely unworthy of her, he knew she needed him anyway, and there was no way he could let her suffer. As he held her tightly, paying no heed currently to her disheveled state of dress, he repeated the words, "I'm sorry," in a whisper again and again. I'm _so_ sorry."

She was trembling from the fear of what could have easily happened to her considering her magical ability was so exhausted and the fact that she'd been afraid of actually hurting him, but when he tightened his arms around her and spoke to her as himself, saying things she'd expect to hear from him, knowing it _was_ him again, she felt so much relieved she could have screamed. His words weren't needed though, and she told him so, lifting her head up to look at him as she put her arms around his back, "No, no, don't apologize, it wasn't you. You could never do that to anyone, you fought it, Link."

His eyes were closed in guilt, his head bowed, as if he were going through the pain of self loathing and punishment. Zelda wanted to see his eyes though, see the blue color of them, and she lifted her hands to his cheeks and said softly, "Link, please look at me."

Slowly, he listened to her, opening the blue eyes she'd wanted to see to look down into hers, and as he did, Zelda shook her head, "Stop blaming yourself. He made you do this, it was a last attempt to have what he wanted. He knew he was doomed, and neither of us were prepared for the move. You fought it the best you could, Link, and that's what matters. If you hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to help you."

The sight of her battered face coupled with the sound of her soothing words made him lean forward, press his head gently to hers. He couldn't help it, was just glad she knew, was glad for her intelligence. They both needed the comfort in that moment, and they just held onto each other tightly. Zelda continued to whisper those same words to him, asking him to hold her, and he didn't turn her away, no matter what he felt worthy of, he couldn't. Finally, after several long moments of silence, he heard her voice asking him, "Say something, Link."

With her request, he considered what he could say. He wanted to tell her he was sorry again, but he knew that wouldn't do. So instead, he whispered out the words, "I love you, Zelda."

She'd taken to nuzzling his throat, and he sighed in his breath over the enjoyable feelings. He knew how badly he could have hurt her, and in this instance, it was one of the few things that legitimately scared him, but she didn't blame him, and while it made him feel much better, he still didn't feel as if he deserved it in a way. But he decided he would have to think about it later; now just wasn't the time for it.

Instead, he added to his previous comment, "We need to finish what we came for,"after the moment of thought.

Hearing the words, Zelda nodded, "That's the best idea I've heard all week." They both needed to get away from there. Looking around quietly, she took in their surroundings, and added, "I don't think I'll be coming back here any time soon."

"Neither do I," he admitted, and he looked at her dress, or what was left of it. She couldn't return to the Gerudo like that, so Link lifted the strap across his chest and shoulder and pushed it over his head.

Zelda watched him taking the strap of his sword and shield off and setting the harness to the side, and then tugging the green jerkin he wore from his belt. In doing so, he pulled it off, leaving him in the chain mail and the white tunic beneath it. He reached over once he'd turned the garment in his hands, and Zelda let him put the top over her head and tug the material down. She helped him by slipping her arms through the short sleeves, and the shirt was so big on her it hung down to her lower thighs. She didn't care for the condition of it, being covered in blood a bit on the front and back, all she cared was that he was thoughtful enough to let her wear it until she could get some better clothing back.

"Thank you," she said softly before she leaned up and kissed him, a kiss he returned very gently and slowly, putting his hands on her cheeks, his intent and responsive touches making her heart beat flutter.

He just cared about her and hated what he'd done. She knew that, knew he might end up blaming himself for a while, but she'd just have to keep telling him differently. As his lips parted, and he put his harness back on, she let him lean in and pull her up, let him treat her specially if it made him feel better, lifting her with a hand below her knees and one below her back. Zelda watched him quietly, her arms wrapping around his neck, and while she didn't feel the need to be carried, even told him so just to keep a feel of normalcy between them, she liked having him treating her so sweetly even if she didn't blame him for what had almost happened.

"I can walk," she whispered against his neck even as she pressed her face there.

"I don't want you to," she heard in response, closing her eyes and letting him carry her toward the Dark Orb so they could finally destroy it, just enjoying being close to him.

Coming to stop with her before the Orb, he turned and settled her on her feet, and she looked down to make sure that she had the proper footing before she stood on her own, and then saw his Boomerang laying in the sand nearby. Reaching over for it, she lifted it and handed it to him, and Link finally smiled when he saw it, reaching to take it. "I think I owe Kiama and Alia a big thanks when I see them again."

Zelda smiled over the words, nodding while he put the Boomerang back up. Remembering what she'd seen him manage to accomplish with the weapon, she started, "You know, I realized something else."

Tying his bag shut again, Link looked at her and pushed some blonde hair from his face, asking, "What?"

"Well," she started, standing beside of him still, her arm around his back, the other resting against his chainmail. "It doesn't matter what I know you're capable of, watching you do it is very amazing even if I already know you can."

Link, while thankful for the compliment, definitely didn't feel like being at the center of any kind of attention right then, and he shook his head at her, "I'm just doing what I need to. I don't–"

He got quiet when she put her fingers on his lips and shook her head at him. She knew he felt bad for what had happened to her still, but he too was a victim of the same incident, and she said, "Link, you're modest to begin with, but for once, just take my compliment and accept it."

Looking her face over, wondering how he could do that when she was bruised and a bit battered, he reached for her hand where her fingers rested against his lips and turned it to kiss the back of her palm. After he'd done so, he replied, "It's only because I couldn't do it without you." Then he looked at the Orb they were standing next to. "Just like I can't do this without you."

Zelda looked over at the Orb with him, and she watched as he lifted her hand up and placed it onto the smooth surface. Once it was settled there, he slipped his palm over hers, she turned her face back up to him and then smiled. Somehow, every time he saw her smile now, it did actually make him feel a good bit better, reminded him that he wasn't to blame, but he'd just have to keep remembering that until it actually settled in.

The magical energies from inside of the Orb began whirring next to them, slowly getting louder and louder with the cracks forming throughout the surface of the moderately large object, and they stepped closer to one another and hugged while it did, turning their faces away from the bright light that began to consume the sight of the chamber around them with a rumbling that grew stronger and stronger, encompassing everything, including, once more, their consciousness.

The beam of light shot into the sky with a loud burst of sound from the top of the Temple, the clouds above it spiraling outwards around the light, letting the moon and stars shine through for an instance. At the front of the Temple, across the desert that lay stretched out before it, the sandstorm began to die down, the winds that had kept it going slowly ceasing in their whipping patterns, the dust and debris settling on the desert floor where it had come from once more. All became calm and quiet.

The light, as with the rest, was again seen for miles around, over the fields where monsters now roamed, across the waters of Lake Hylia, and at the northern peak of cliffs settled near the lake, where Tenio stood under the cover of night in the snow. From where he stood, the beam was silent, unable to hear the loud whirring sound it had actually created since it was several miles away, and also didn't look as big because of the distance, but he could see it nonetheless.

Watching the clouds break in a ripple around the shooting light so far south from him, he lifted his head, and he heard the softly spoken words, "Tenio, what is that?"

The silver haired Hylian looked down at Jada, whom had come to visit with him and bring him a little food while he stood watch. In response, he told her, "It's what we've been waiting for. Link and Zelda were successful in releasing the spirit essence of the sages. I have to go tell them."

Turning, he was about to head back to the door located across the floor of the large cliff they both stood upon, when he saw the man he was about to head after walking toward him through the snow, his cloak billowing behind him with each step he took. "Lyonel," Tenio said before he stopped walking, then he thought for a moment and suggested, "you must have felt it."

"I did," Lyonel replied to his fellow Hylian, coming to a stop next to the man who'd been looking at him throughout their spoken words when he saw the beam of light dying away in the distance. Tenio and Jada turned back toward it, watching in silence while the clouds began to gather back together again, and while they stood there, the breeze blowing over them, snowflakes drifting slowly down around them, Lyonel added, "I wanted to see it for myself."

Tenio felt something against his hand, and he glanced down to see that, as she stared at it, Jada had put her fingers into his palm. Knowing of her abused past, he was glad that she trusted him as she had come to, smiling just a small bit while he let his fingers tighten around hers. He understood her fear in that moment over seeing what they just had, because of all of the talks that had taken place of what would happen when that time came amongst the revolt. To Lyonel, he asked, "Then we are now called to arms?"

Lyonel looked to the side for a moment over at Tenio, and slowly he shook his head no. "Not yet. But the time _has_ come to be ready for it."

Indeed, Lyonel was right. As the sage essence of Spirit was released, the three essential powers were now free, and in being free, the Temples of Light, Forest, and Shadow would now become less and less dangerous as the connecting powers of the sages would no longer be drawn away from them to their essential powers. With the essences balanced again, compensation would be called for. At the northwest of the kingdom, a pair of black eyes witnessed these events taking place, witnessed the power being released from the Temple of Spirit, and a small chuckle was let.

Ganondorf turned to step inside, heading across the walkway that connected the south towers of Hyrule's Palace. Pushing the door open and heading inside, he was ready know, because they were ready. When they came to him, this would all finally begin. He would finally have what he needed, all of the keys he had to possess in order to unlock the seal of the Sacred Realm.

Myriad's power would become his own. Once this was accomplished, there would be no one or nothing to stop him.


	58. Blind Darkness

_Chapter 57 - Blind Darkness_

_Eighteen Years Prior_

The Palace of Hyrule had always been decorated in a manner that Nissandra found to be comfortable, welcoming, and at the same time, appealing. Vases filled with flowers were commonly seen, murals upon the walls of peaceful settings, and even some of battles to serve as a reminder of past struggles fought, though somehow, as she made her way down a marble hallway across the red carpet that lined its floor, she got the feeling that Hadinaru had a hand in hanging those types of paintings up for display.

But those were thoughts for another day and time. Right now she had more urgent business to attend to. The evening was a rainy one, cold outside, many of the occupants in the Palace wearing furs or cloaks to keep a bit warmer, and heading up the steps, turning down another hallway at the top of them after exiting the throne room in order to find whom she was going to speak with, the white garments of her ornate robes brushing across the floor with each hurried step she took.

The door she needed was found, and she pushed it open without worry of hiding her presence, letting the doors swing open while peering inside of the room. Ignoring the thud of the door against the wall behind her as lightening flashed outside of the large window across from her, illuminating the library more than it was normally in the gloomy daytime sky, she heard a page being turned coming from between two aisles of books. Heading toward them, she came around the corner, looking toward the person whom she was about to confront, his black robes made of the finest quality materials, flared out sleeves, and a collar high around his head of tied back hair, the same black color as his clothing, making his skin look pale to an almost porcelain extent, though it contained a reddish hue in the light of the candelabras decorating the ceilings.

When he sensed movement, he slowly lifted his head from the book he'd been reading and turned his black eyes to face her. Seeing the white mage whom stood without her hood drawn up, her long, curly blonde hair almost the same color as the sun on a clear day flowing down to her midriff over her shoulders and tied into two braids along each side of her head fastened with metal cuffs gave her the same regal appearance she'd always carried.

"Myriad," he spoke in greeting, looking back to his book. "I didn't expect you'd come to see me."

Myriad stayed quiet in the aftermath of his words, though there was a look of seriousness in her blue eyes that was not to be ignored. Still, she turned the same attitude on him, lifting her head back as she finally replied, her voice as proper as it had always been, "Well, I'm sorry to surprise, however I actually had thought you possessed more intelligence, enough so to know that I would come to confront you when I learned the truth of what you'd done, Dragmire."

A snort sounding, Dragmire turning the page beneath his fingers, rings garnishing a few of the digits, and he replied, "Just what did I do, Myriad?"

With a sneer, the mage of light stood almost statuesque, only lifting her hands to fold over her chest until he looked at her, waiting patiently. Finally, realizing she wasn't going to speak until she was completely sure she had his complete attention, Dragmire lifted his eyes and turned a somewhat annoyed expression toward her.

When she had his gaze, she told him plainly, "You used your magics to control the minds of the King and Queen. They just birthed a daughter three days ago," Myriad raised a hand and waved it to the side in anger, "Yet now they have a _son_!?"

With a bland breath exhaled through his nose and a callous brow raised, Dragmire watched her animation before he parted his lips and raised a finger, "It was a slight miscalculation on their parts, my lady. There's no need for anger."

"_No need_," Myriad started in utter disbelief, "of anger?" Her fists balled as she spoke the words.

"Don't be quaint, Myriad, you knew as well as I did what was coming. Now your misdirecting your anger onto feigned ignorance when you should be placing it on the fact that there was, and is, nothing you could do about it from the beginning."

Myriad stared at him, her lips lightly pursed, her fists tightening, thinking of her son, the one he didn't know she had, her son who would never know her, who'd been taken the night before with the Princess to be placed into safety without Dragmire's knowledge, the dark wizard thinking the princess to be dead now. Her anger was glinting in her blue eyes as she stared at the one who she'd once called a fellow student, a friend, whom now corrupted everything she cherished and held dear.

She hadn't known this specific twist was coming, though he was right, she did believe he was capable of it, and she hadn't found a means to remove him from the picture yet. She'd been pregnant and unable to confront him up until three months prior, and ever since, she'd been desperately searching for a way to secure the futures for both her family and for that of the royals.

It was in that moment she realized that whatever solutions there were lay farther down the road than she could reach at that moment in time, and she told Dragmire as she considered this and tried to shrug off her helpless feelings inwardly, "Heed my words, Dragmire. Whatever it is you ultimately seek will slip father from your grasp the tighter you tie your own noose. I'll be sure of that personally."

Turning to walk away from the dark wizard, his words stopped her after only a few steps. "Don't you find it somewhat curious, Myriad, that I've placed my own son to become the leader of this fine kingdom, instead of looking for a means to become the, as you'd call it, usurper myself?"

When she stopped after he'd posed the question, she turned her blue eyes to the side as if to look at him without seeing him while he himself turned to face her back, the book he held still in hand, walking in behind her, adding, "Don't you find it somewhat curious that I have not simply killed the King and Queen in some elaborate plot to disguise my guilt and take the throne all for myself?"

"What are you getting at, Dragmire?" Myriad turned her face toward him with the question, the dangling pearls hanging from her pointed ears swinging back and forth behind her braids as she did so. "Are you trying to obtain some form of security for your son while you seek out whatever it is you truly want?"

"As a matter of fact," Dragmire turned his hand and the book in it, holding it out to her. Myriad didn't look at it right away, just held his gaze as they both stood there, and finally, she looked down to the pages he was holding before her. Upon them was the symbol of a powerful relic that had been known throughout the ages, one that stood for the Goddesses and all that they had created as a testament to their power.

Myriad knew what it meant, turning her eyes up from the drawing of the three triangular Triforces merged into one larger triangle, and she parted her lips in order to speak to him. "If it is the Triforce you seek, you will surely fail."

Dragmire's lips slowly curled up into a smile, and closing the book with one hand, he held it up and casually turned to walk around her, saying, "You know, I'd had a thought on it all. It's common knowledge that those deemed less than worthy could not contain the entire power of an assembled Triforce. _Anyone,_" he emphasized, "who touches it would find two pieces slipping away."

As he spoke, Myriad folded her arms across the pure white robes she wore and tilted her head with a slightly raised brow. "Why Dragmire, you're being modest. Here I thought you'd consider yourself worthy enough. I'm shocked."

Her blandly spoken words drew a simple smirk from his lips as he stopped before her, and looking down at her, Dragmire lifted a brow. "We're speaking in terms of worth according to the three Goddesses, Myriad. Whom _would_ be worthy?"

Myriad wrinkled her brows and shook her head, "You're telling the story, Dragmire, so do what any author would do best and improvise. _You_ tell me, who would be worthy?"

"Absolutely no one," he spoke immediately with a slight lift of his head to emphasize that fact. Then he made an addendum to his words, "Not one with the talents or characteristics of this realm anyway," with a slight shake of his hand as if to explain it better. Myriad listened closely to what he said, taking in each word carefully as he spoke them, allowing him to continue on, "Do you think it somehow our fate, my one time friend, that the moment I summoned forth the Dark Powers from the Sacred Realm, that in a balancing act, it gifted you with the powers exactly opposite of mine?"

"Yes," Myriad admitted, "I do believe it was fated to be that way. After all, you and I were both ahead of our peers with the scholars, both masters of our crafts. But I have to ask you, what _does_ this have to do with obtaining the Triforce?"

"Everything," he said, turning to face her. "You, despite the friction between us now, are just as ready to grasp at something more powerful to undo the things I have done as I am to be rid of your constant meddling in my affairs."

"Then it seems we still have something in common after all." The words were, of course, meant to be sarcastic, and Myriad added the question, "So what are you proposing? That the Triforce would help you to destroy me? Do you really think I'd help you to accomplish this task?"

"Yes, in fact, I do," Dragmire informed her. "Because you," he walked around her side as he got his point across, "know an opportunity when you see one. You would have the chance to destroy me as well. You need the power of the Triforce even more than I do."

Myriad, still facing forward as he spoke toward her side, lifted a brow in thought over the proposal. Dragmire was already more powerful than she was. She knew what he'd done to the Sages and the power they possessed. With those five powers backing him, things started becoming more clear to her on how possessing a part of the Triforce could help her greatly. But the pieces would fall away, no matter which of them tried to possess it, leaving the two of them with only one, and a third, unknown party with another deemed fit to possess it.

Myriad also knew that, even though Dragmire was telling her she would have an opportunity here to possess a relic of power so great she could be rid of his evil completely, that he understood the rules himself. With her possessing a piece, he would find a means to control her, already had as much power to do so once a part of the relic was obtained.

As she thought it over, Dragmire, watching her taking his words into consideration, told her, "You realize there is no other way."

In counter, feeling his words had been somehow insulting and brash, Myriad turned her eyes to his with the words, "I realize," she paused slowly, shaking her head, "that you want something that should be no ones, for it belongs to all, that if I assist you, the blood of this kingdom will flow over the fields like a dye, and stain it for generations. I realize, Dragmire, that I am short of options when it comes to defending that which I care for, and I also realize that I cannot bargain with you, whether I wish to do this or not."

Myriad turned with those words, still facing him, holding his gaze steadily with her own, one that spoke volumes of her determination to stop him and correct all that he had corrupted. When she continued speaking, she told him that she knew more than he'd thought, or at least, mentioned to believe she knew.

"All the while we struggle for this dominancy, the King and Queen believe your child to be their own, securing your place on high in the kingdom while you try to possess the tools to wash it away into what your own twisted vision of perfection is. That is the reason you do not usurp them. You are wishing to fulfill your son's need for power in your stead, should you fail to obtain a piece of the Triforce for yourself."

Dragmire was slightly smirking over her words, looking at her as if sizing her up. Finally, he replied, "You know, as much as you don't believe me capable of it, it does pain me that we're at such odds now. Perhaps I shouldn't waste my breath considering all you believe me capable of is a lie, however, I can honestly say that your blind devotion to king, queen, and country has led you oblivious to what could possibly be. This is where our paths as allies began to separate. You _can_ agree with that, can't you?"

Myriad gave a single, raised eyebrow and a slow nod of her head. "I can indeed. I can also agree that what you want proves just how blindly devoted to power _you_ are. So perhaps, between us, it's a simple game of the blind leading the blind."

"There's that singular wit I'd always admired," he smirked, turning to place the book he'd been carrying down onto a table. Once he was done, he looked over at the rain pattering against the windows, and he continued, "The royals will give their official announcement of birth this evening at the assembly. They'll present my son as their own, and in doing so, change the course that this kingdom is flowing in. In the meantime, when you watch my child named the Prince of Hyrule, I want you to consider this proposal, and give me your answer. After all, if this is the blind leading the blind," he turned his face so that she could see his profile, looking back to her white robed form from the corner of his eyes, "then we're all about to be submerged in a pitch black darkness for years to come whether you help me or not."

Myriad breathed in as he spoke, a sadness in her eyes in that she knew he was completely right, overlaying a determination in them to figure out a way to prevent this from happening, turning swiftly to leave the library. Dragmire smirked when he heard her steps fleeing the room, letting an amused chuckle.

Myriad found her way to the tower stairs, walking up them at first with her robes gathered in her hands so that she wouldn't trip on them, but going more and more swiftly until she'd started running, rounding the corner at the top and heading toward the doors to her personal chamber, her breathing picking up the faster she went until she reached them. But someone stepped in front of the doors just before she could reach them to throw herself inside and lock herself there in deep thought. She was in such a frenzy that she didn't realize whom it was that she'd bumped into until she heard her name.

"Myriad!"

Looking up swiftly into her husband's eyes, Lyonel gripped her upper arms and saw the confusion and uncertainty in the deep sea blues of her gaze. Something was incredibly wrong, and in realizing it, because his wife wasn't prone to being irrational very often at all, Lyonel reached for the door so that they could go inside and speak alone, his arm around her shoulders while they went.

Turning, shutting the door and locking it, he faced her fully and asked her, "What happened, love?"

Myriad was still panting from her run, staring at his dark grey doublet and looking up, past the cravat neatly tucked into his collar and to his face. "It's Dragmire," she told him, "he's after the Triforce relic. He wants me to use my power with his in order to open the Sacred Realm so he can obtain the relic, or I can in order to finally become more powerful than he."

The words almost sounded ludicrous to Lyonel, but only almost, considering he knew now from Myriad's dealings with the dark wizard just how far he would go to get what he wanted. Lyonel tightened his grip on her upper arms, his brows furrowing, and before he could get out any words he'd been considering, she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, adding, "What choice do I have, Lyonel? Tell me, for I don't think I can figure it out right now."

"Myriad, there is no possible way this could work for anyone," Lyonel started. "The Triforce of the Goddesses? He's completely daft to even consider such a thing to begin with. There's nothing to think about, Myriad."

"No, I know that," she told him, her hands unfolding against his elbows as he stood there before her holding onto her upper arms, "I have no wish to obtain any part of the relic, even to undo what he has done. But even if I don't assist him, he'll find a way to get what he wants, and we may be worse off than before. Lyonel, we've given up our...," she trailed off over what she'd been about to say, finding the urge to cry choking her words into silence, and Lyonel let her step in closer to hug him in knowledge of what she had been about to say to him.

He of course felt that same loss himself. But this was something he could not allow to happen, even if they'd already given up their own son for his protection in the face of the evil spreading throughout the Palace now. There was absolutely no way, and nothing to think about.

"Myriad, we had to let go of Link just last eve. You're still in grieving. He doesn't know this, but he does know you're grieving for the king and queen where they cannot. He's using this against you, to cause you to make a brash decision when there's nothing to consider to begin with. The Sacred Realm? It will stay sealed for a good time to come whether he is after the Triforce or not. For your own well being, Myriad, this should not be a factor in your mind at this hour."

"Lyonel," came her whispered words, slowly lifting her face from where it had rested against his chest and up to look at him, expressing the same strength in her features he'd always known her to possess, though there was a delicateness beneath that strength he'd always felt the need to protect, and she told him, "how can I not consider it? He's already been allowed to go too far, and I am now at a disadvantage because of it."

"You've been carrying our child, Myriad," Lyonel reminded her, "there was nothing to be done. He may have gathered more ability while you were carrying, taken up things he shouldn't have in your absence, but it is not something which cannot be undone, and does not need immediate action to deal with. I want you to rest easy for now."

Myriad sighed in a deep breath, trying to calm herself, trying to be as logical as she could as her husband has suggested, and with a nod of her head, she replied, "You're right. There's another way to undo this. I simply need to focus elsewhere in order to find out what it is." She missed her child, and that was, in fact, the reason she couldn't completely consider anything as normally as she usually would. Sadness over loss was clouding her judgement, and she had to remain focused, though it seemed an insurmountable task at that time. Still, she knew that doing so would allow her a means to one day see her son again, and further his protection, so she used that to keep herself calm and collected.

"I need to focus on my child," she told him, looking up at his face while he wiped a tear away, "and keep him as close in my thoughts as I can."

Lyonel was very glad to hear her saying this. Gifting her with a smile, he leaned down and placed an affectionate kiss against her forehead, then drew her in for a hug, the both of them hurt and needing the comfort. Little did Lyonel know however that her child was the answer she sought. In considering Link, she knew what had to be done. It was a week later that Myriad sat atop the back of her white stallion, hood drawn over her head, eyes glancing back toward the Palace she was now leaving. There was no choice in the matter. She knew what she had to do.

Dragmire was awaiting her.

Coming to the drawbridge, the gates lowering, Myriad's mount stopped when the knight whom had escorted her to the area asked, "My lady Myriad, are you sure you don't need escort? Can you not wait until morning?"

Myriad, quietly, reached into her belt where she'd secured a scroll without initial answer to him. Pulling it free, she looked down from her horse's back at the Hylian Knight and handed the rolled up paper to him.

"Thank you for your concern, Illiam, however the matter at hand is an urgent one. I have but this one final task for you to perform in the meantime. Deliver this scroll to my husband. It will tell him all that he needs to know."

Reaching for the scroll, Illiam glanced back up to Myriad as he pulled it from her fingertips, and he told her, "I will do this immediately, my lady."

"Thank you," Myriad replied, "you've been a very good friend. I hope you are able to see your wife and child soon. How old is he now?"

"Tenio?," Illiam asked, referring to his son, "He's four now. I'm going to travel to River Town next week to be with them for an entire month."

The news gave Myriad a genuine smile finally. Nodding her hooded head, she told Illiam in response, "Take good care of him, and extend my well wishes to your wife. Might I ask you to do me one more favor?"

Illiam nodded his head, and Myriad, knowing she didn't have much time, told the Hylian, "Stay in River Town with them, and do not return here. Resign your duty as knight and serve the town in which your son resides. He needs you more than Hyrule does."

The words shocked Illiam a bit, though they did make sense. Though Myriad knew the sense they made to him wouldn't reveal the entire truth of the corruption in the Kingdom, that was the way she wanted it. Bidding the knight a goodbye, she began to travel, under a veil of cloudless stars, to the Temple of Light. In her wake, Illiam looked at the scroll he held in his hand now, wondering what Myriad could have been doing, but he trusted her, as everyone did, and had not questioned her errands. When he turned around with this thought in mind, and the intentions to do as she'd asked him to, he came face to face with one of his superiors.

"Myriad is leaving at this hour?"

"Casimir," Illiam replied, having been a slight bit startled by the man, looking and then nodding his head at him. "Yes, she said it was of urgency, but she did not specify why or what."

Casimir didn't reply to that, only asked, "Whom is the scroll for, her husband?"

"Yes," Illiam nodded.

"Open it," he said, looking from the direction Myriad had headed in and to the scroll Illiam held in his hand. "There is reason to doubt Myriad's motivations. King Hadinaru sent me to make sure she was not acting strange, but I can now see that this is all very strange indeed."

Illiam couldn't help but give his superior an incredulous stare for a few moments. But he snapped to before Casimir began to question him and did as the man asked. Unrolling the scroll, he narrowed his brows as he looked at the paper. "Sir, there's no writing on the page."

Casimir reached and took the paper from him, looking it over for himself. Just as Illiam had said, no words had been printed across the letter. With a sigh, Casimir tossed the scroll away and stared off after the direction that Myriad had traveled in, turning with the words, "I'll take care of this myself."

Illiam watched the man walking off, and he looked over at the letter laying on the wet ground. Despite Casimir's suspicions, and even the King's, Illiam had his own doubts about things recently, this entire incident of suspicion toward Myriad being one of them, and he picked the letter up when he knew no one was looking to see him. In doing so, he could somehow only wonder if Myriad's advice to him to resign his position as knight had something to do with a bigger plot than he'd originally considered, and he decided to deliver the letter to Lyonel anyway.

The royal guard was awake when Illiam found him. Lyonel had been staring out of a window with no idea where his wife had headed, but somehow, he knew two things. Myriad, for one, knew what she was doing, and the other, he didn't like the course it was taking. Still, he opened the door to his chamber when he was visited, and thanked Illiam for the scroll, shutting the door behind the knight when he left before turning to walk toward the window he'd been staring out of in thought as he unrolled it.

It was easy to see that the letter had been tampered with due to bends in the paper, but Lyonel knew the information upon the letter was kept safe, written where only the one intended could read them. As his eyes swept across the page, words began to form as if bleeding down it in ink, forming where there once were none.

_My Husband,_

_Please forgive me. I've had to make a choice, and that choice is not one that will be easy to accept. The only way I can put any type of stop to the evils spreading is to aide Dragmire. However, it is not just the Triforce which he seeks. It is all power in every form he wants to control and add to his own. This is certainly not excluding my own, whether or not he realizes it. The only way I can prevent him from obtaining what he seeks is to seal it away before he can step in to lay claim to it._

_The Sacred Realm will become my home in doing so. Until more light can rise in the good that we have managed to perform, there will be nothing more that either of us can do. I strongly believe, and wish for you to as well, that the path of Hyrule lies in the hands of the babies we put into safe custody. No doubt in waiting, word will rise of the Sages abandonment of Hyrule, and the people will, indeed, look to the false prince as their future more concretely, but if I do not act now, and any piece of the Triforce falls into the hands of evil, we, including the lives of our children, will be completely doomed to darkness._

_I am so sorry. You are already baring the loss of our child, and now that of your wife. But you have not lost me for good. One day, I will emerge from the shackles that have already been placed upon me, and we will see one another again. But for now, my duty lay with my failures of being unable to prevent this evil from spreading, and I have to now shine a light of wisdom, otherwise Dragmire will be right, and we will all be blind in the darkness._

_I can only hope that this separation will not be permanent no matter how long it lasts, and I will not pass a day without thought of you and our son. I will always love the both of you._

_Please forgive me,_

_Myriad_

Lyonel lowered his head, reading the last letter he'd ever received from his wife eighteen years prior to the day he was looking it over now in his chamber within the cliff sides. Rolling the paper up, he'd come across it in his satchels, having wanted to make sure that, with the recent victory in the Temple of Spirit, he had all of his most important belongings in a safe place, and was ready to move should the situation arise.

She'd hoped the separation wouldn't be permanent. Now, he hoped he would not deem that letter as valuable for much longer. He hoped that if he ever read it again, it was as a free man, not one in hiding. He hoped to have his wife back to replace it. Setting the satchel inside of a chest near the bed he'd called his own for the past several weeks now, he considered all of this, and remembered that night was darkest before the dawn. He hoped the light she'd gone away to shine down into the kingdom was about to shine as brightly as any morning sun and blind the darkness that had overcome them all.

They would need it badly. That darkness would more than likely be churning in restlessness now.


	59. Consideration

_Chapter 58 - Consideration_

Zelda awoke and could tell, despite the fact that the shudder over the window on the wall across from her was closed, that it was daytime. Her eyes had opened slowly after the long peaceful slumber they'd gone into, and lifting her head, she felt an arm over her side which she glanced down at. Being his left arm, she knew without a doubt that it was Link because of the Triforce mark on the back of his left hand, and she smiled and placed hers on top of it, resting a little easier in that moment. She could easily see they were within his loft anyway, and could only wonder if they'd been transported there or if they'd been carried there.

Slowly, she slipped over onto her opposite side, finding Link as he was resting peacefully against the pillow. His face was serene, tilted downwards slightly, lips a bit parted to reveal his upper teeth with his cheek pressed into the pillow, and a few strands of his blonde hair had fallen across his forehead and over his face. She realized someone must have at least taken care of them while they'd been unconscious because she was no longer wearing his Jerkin, and instead, what appeared to be a tunic of a beige color that was too big for her was covering her body down to her thighs.

It must have been one of Link's old shirts. Zelda could only imagine that Nabooru must have had a hand in their care, seeing that Link was still in the chainmail, probably because Nabooru couldn't get the strap off of his chest since the Master Sword was too heavy to lift. Zelda guessed Link would just have to take care of it, and reaching up, she pushed the strands of hair out of his face and back into place, watching his mouth shut completely in mindless response to her touch as he slept so soundly.

Looking him over, she thought for a few moments quietly about what had happened to them. They'd been through so much so far, and some things worried her. Zelda had taken to stroking his hair while she thought, the very first image in her mind being that of the dark shadow who'd been plaguing them, but thankfully no longer would, and her skin began to crawl. She couldn't help it, after all, he'd done his fair share of violating her, both physically and emotionally, and the feelings made her sick on her stomach, especially of knowing how enamored with her he'd become due to apparently having the same types of feelings that Link did.

She sighed and, for the moment, tried to push the thoughts from her mind, but even still, she did feel dirty and used. She understood however that she was extremely lucky though, much worse could have happened to her at his hands, but it was enough to begin with. Thankfully though, it hadn't marred her perception of the Hylian sleeping before her now whom she stared at so intently, considering him instead.

They'd been together as children, separated for a while, but she still didn't feel that separation anymore, she only felt as if he'd always been there somehow. She thought about him as a child, thought about how much respect and admiration she had for him, and also took into consideration the reasons they'd grown up together as they had. If it had been different, and they'd been taken to different families to be raised, Zelda wondered if, when they would have eventually met later, she would have fallen in love with him anyway. She somehow got the feeling there would have bee a huge chance of that, but would she have loved him as much as she did now? Maybe it would have just been different. But in thought over how they were raised, she looked at him, legitimately, as her protector, and she'd never felt as safe with anyone else as she did with him, except for perhaps his father. But Lyonel lack the total ability to comfort her that Link possessed.

That was what she needed now, Link's comfort. Even though he was asleep, he was comforting her now, just being close to her, his arm settled over her side. Had he rolled over in his sleep and done that? Probably, she couldn't imagine anyone having placed his arm there. With the thought in mind, she leaned in and kissed his forehead, a kiss he didn't react to except to move his lips just a bit.

The movement made her smile at him. Zelda then sighed out her breath and laid her head against the pillow, cringing when she realized her face was still tender. She needed to find a bit of potion somewhere so it would heal up more quickly. Perhaps they had some on Epona or Frost, she would have to check whenever they got up. Once more she thought about Dark Link when she felt that soreness however, and again wished that the shadow had never existed. Reaching for Link's hand, she felt the need to thank him in her own way while he slept for getting rid of the unwanted pest, turning her face to kiss his palm and then nuzzle her cheek against it because it was his touch she needed, in order to make her feel better, whether he was sleeping or not.

As she did, a light quietly began to spread over the bed from the door, cast by the rays of the sun as Nabooru looked into the room. Turning her head to see the redhead in her burgundy top, cut off over the stomach, and long billowing pants that matched, Zelda gave her a smile and heard Nabooru sighing.

"Good you're awake."

Nodding slowly, Zelda quietly sat up so that she wouldn't disturb Link, and she noticed Nabooru motioning to the bedside table. Looking over at it, Zelda saw a bottle containing potion and a vial to measure it with sitting next to it. With a smile, realizing that she hadn't noticed it immediately when she'd awoken, Zelda reached over for the bottle and vial and whispered a thank you to the Gerudo before she took a dose of the liquid. Hopefully now the bruises would be gone before the day was out.

"What in the world happened to you two?" Nabooru asked, her voice still hushed. She reached over and pulled up a chair, sitting down on Zelda's side of the bed, and gave the Hylian a concerned look. "You were a mess, and he still is."

With a sigh, looking down, Zelda slowly began to shake her head. "It's a long story. _Very_ long. But we're both fine. That's what matters."

Nabooru made a sigh, though she supposed Zelda was right. "But your clothes," she asked softly, "you weren't really wearing any except for his. Are you sure you don't need a woman to talk to? That twin we saw carrying you off, Link didn't fill me in on all of the details, but he didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"Well," Zelda drew out softly, "maybe I could use a woman to talk to, but later when we're not being so quiet. I'll tell you everything then." It was then that she heard Link muttering in his sleep a bit, and she stopped speaking for a moment. Once he stilled again, she looked back over at Nabooru and whispered, "Is this Link's shirt I'm wearing?"

Nabooru nodded, "Yes. I changed you because of all of the blood on Link's jerkin. I'm letting it soak in some cleaner now to get the blood out. But I couldn't pull that sword off," she shook her head, staring at it resting on Link's back, "I don't know how he carries it."

The comment made Zelda smile, and she looked down at his arm, still resting in her lap as she sat against the pillows comfortably. Placing her hand on his, she took a slow breath before telling Nabooru, "He does have a large weight on his shoulders. I guess you could say he just carries it all with humility."

Nabooru snickered softly, nodding her head, "He _is_ that. So, do you need anything at all that I can get for you now?"

"I don't think so," Zelda shook her head, "just a little hungry perhaps."

"Food, got it," Nabooru smiled, standing up in order to go and get something for them both to eat, "I've got some ready for you both, I just didn't want to make it and let it sit around and get cold while waiting for you both to wake up, so I'll go grab it for you now."

Zelda wanted to tell her she didn't have to do that, but seeing that the woman was ready to help them both out, and knowing how close she actually was to Link, Zelda smiled and thanked her softly, watching her open the door before shutting it. When it got quiet, she heard Link speaking, "Good, food, I'm starving."

Looking down, Zelda saw him opening his eyes before yawning, and he pushed himself up slowly. Letting him turn to sit, moving her hand from his so he could, she asked, "How long have you been awake?"

"Long enough to hear you and Nabooru talking for a few minutes. I thought I was dreaming at first," he added, rubbing his eyes of the sleep he'd had.

"I'm sorry we woke you."

"It's alright," he replied, looking over at her finally. "I slept pretty good, and besides, it looks like midday already."

"Yes, that's true," Zelda considered, and she turned to reach over to the window, pushing the shudder open to allow more light into the room, using the rod settled at the bottom pane to prop it up. Light washed in, and Link looked her over in the shirt she wore while she moved about and did this, wondering what they might get her to wear now since she couldn't run around in his shirt all of the time, but he didn't have time to comment on it before she added as she looked out of the window, "The scenery is much nicer in the daylight."

He thought about the view from his window, knew what she was seeing because of how long he'd lived there, a good portion of the valley surrounding them, and he was happy she liked it so much. But he felt guilt still gnawing at him from what had happened before, her state of dress and the bruise on her face still reminding him of that. He didn't completely blame himself, no, but it had been his hand that hit her, his actions that helped to violate her. Those types of actions were unforgivable, and wished thoroughly that the shadow had just died before he could make it back to the chamber the final battle of the Temple had taken place in.

Sitting back from the window while Link was having these thoughts, Zelda pushed herself onto the edge of the bed again and heard shifting, turning to see that Link was taking off the harness he wore around his chest. As he moved, he grumbled out, "I've still got sand in my clothes."

The comment made Zelda smile, able to see why he would with the monster he'd slain being comprised of the material. "You should probably get a bath. Do you need me to draw any water for you?"

"No, it's fine," he informed her, "I don't want you carrying it all that way, because you'll have to use buckets to get it from the grottos, and you're still hurt. Did you take any potion?"

Link had noticed the potion sitting on the bedside table, and Zelda nodded at him. Seeing that she had, he stood up and told her, "Then I'll go get enough for both of us, if you want one too that is."

"Alright, and that would be nice," Zelda replied with a little smile up at him, watching him opening the door to his wash room. He hadn't really smiled in return, and noticing this, she pursed her lips to the side and narrowed her brows a bit, looking down. Sighing in a breath, she guessed he just needed some time to get his thoughts straight, and was a little bit grumpy over recent events that had taken place, not that she could blame him.

Thinking over it, she heard a sound coming from outside. It drew her attention, and pushing herself off of the bed in order to lean while crouched on her knees against the bottom pane of the window, she noticed that there was a rope on a pulley hanging across from her over the balcony which she hadn't paid much attention to before. The rope was being pulled from below, and she waited to see what would come up.

Finally it stopped with a tray covered by a metal tin tied to the end of the rope, a slight breeze blowing giving her a scent of food that was delicious, and Zelda looked over when she saw Nabooru climbing up to the top of the ladder. Smiling over at her, she asked, "Did you cook? I can smell it from here."

"No, actually, my friend had already started doing it for me. She cooked some lamb and cut some vegetables up for you both and fried them over her wood stove. So you've got an earlier meal."

"It sounds good," Zelda replied with a smile, and she reached out to take the covered food and turned to settle it on the bed. When she did, Nabooru sat down on the balcony outside across from her while Zelda remained on the floor inside, the window low enough to lift their arms and lean against the bottom pane across from one another.

"Link just went to wash up," Zelda told her, "we woke him. So he'll eat shortly."

Nabooru nodded her head over the information since she could see that Link was currently gone, asking Zelda in return, "Is he okay?"

Zelda considered that before replying, "I think he's a little grumpy. He was," she waved her hand while trying to think of the right words, "possessed in the Temple and attacked me. I think he still blames himself."

"Oh?," Nabooru went a little wide eyed, turning her brown eyes to the side in thought for a moment. "Well, that's definitely not good. I mean that he was forced and you were hurt. Or were you?"

Zelda shrugged, "He was going to..," she trailed, her voice getting quiet, and she turned her violet blues down and away from Nabooru before she continued, "rape and kill me, then kill himself."

Nabooru was giving Zelda a blank stare over the news, her eyes a bit wide. "He what...?" She drew out the word like she couldn't believe it. Once the initial stupor the comment had kicked her into wore of, she snorted and looked as if she were appalled. Waving a hand, she commented, "Whatever got hold of him must have been bad. I know for a fact he charges off just seeing a woman being struck by a man. When he was thirteen, Emilyn brought a boyfriend back from traveling for a while. He was a big guy, muscled and very tall, and he hit her. Link saw it, only thirteen years old, and he charged the man anyway."

"What happened?" Zelda asked with interest.

"He knocked the man's teeth out of his mouth," Nabooru snickered, remembering the incident well. It was definitely a shock with the memory in mind to hear that Link, even if he was under something else's control, would ever try to harm a woman, or anyone who didn't deserve it for that matter. Nabooru knew for a fact that Link definitely wasn't comfortable over the situation. "Hearing that he hurt you though, I'm pretty sure he probably feels completely terrible about it. But you don't blame him, right?"

"Oh no," Zelda shook her head. "I could never blame him knowing he was being controlled. But, I..."

When Zelda trailed off in thought, Nabooru tilted her head curiously, asking, "But what?"

Zelda had to figure out how to put it. No, she didn't blame Link, but those feelings of violation were still there. It was hard to tell another person that when the situation was so embarrassing to begin with, but Zelda really needed to talk about it with someone who would understand so she could finally figure everything out correctly. So with that intention in mind, she started telling Nabooru, in the best words she could think of, what she was trying to say.

"Well, I do feel very odd because of it. I mean, well, it's hard for me to explain. Violated and dirty, but not over him. The twin you saw," she began, "was a copy created by a cursed mirror. He's been following us for a while now and causing trouble, and he was made to reflect the darkness that we all possess, and act on those impulses instead of good intentions. He felt about me the same way Link does, but always wanted to hurt me whenever I didn't cooperate."

Nabooru tilted her head as she regarded the Hylian, giving a nod after a moment. "I see. Is he still alive?"

"No, he was killed, and the evil that created him is what possessed Link, as a last attempt to get what he wanted I'm thinking." With a sigh, Zelda looked down toward the pane she was leaning against and idly drew one of her nails across the surface, finally adding, "It wasn't Link trying to touch me, it was him, but I know Link feels guilty for it. He fought it so hard to stop himself too, if he hadn't, neither of us would be here now because I didn't have the strength to fight him off completely. Now I feel violated, Link probably does as well, and he's angry it happened to begin with. I just don't know what to do for him, or for myself. Not at the moment anyway."

"Oh," Nabooru drew out in response, "I see. You know what?" She shook her head and leaned in closer so she could be a bit more quiet incase anyone was overhearing. "I think he probably needs a little time alone, and _you_ need something else to wear. So since you need to talk about it, why don't we give him that time, and you come to where I live so I can dress you properly after you eat. After all, when he was upset as a child, I just let him be alone, and he always came to talk to me once he had his thoughts figured out."

Zelda glanced back after Nabooru made the suggestion, guessing that was the best idea, to allow him the time to think on his own before they really started talking about it, and she nodded slowly. "Alright, then I'll go ahead and eat, and let him know when he gets back with the water. He was going to draw us both a bath, so now he won't have to make two runs."

Nabooru smiled, giving a nod of her head, "Then that's what we'll do. And you can bathe in my home, I'll go have it all set up for you, alright?"

Zelda smiled at the woman, then she pushed herself over and gave her a hug through the open window. "Thank you, Nabooru. You know," she sat back and smiled at the pretty Gerudo, "I'm glad you found Link as a child because you two both needed one another. I mean, I'm not trying to be personal, but he did tell me about some things, and I think you're a very good person for him to have in his life. I'm glad you're here to talk to."

"Aw, well aren't you sweet," Nabooru grinned. Zelda had to smile over the comment before she sat back, and Nabooru waved a hand, "It's nothing really, us girls have to stick together, you know? So go on and eat. I'll come back when the bath is ready. We'll have you back here properly dressed and looking pretty again in no time."

Zelda couldn't stop smiling now, somehow seeing what Link meant by Nabooru being spirited, and she nodded her head in agreement with the words. As the Gerudo stood up and went to the ladder, Zelda thanked her again before letting a soft, slow sigh. She felt better already somehow, much more optimistic. Pushing herself up from the floor, she went to the bed and grabbed the plate of food in order to look at what they had to eat now. It smelled good enough to make her stomach rumble almost painfully, and knowing she should wait for Link, she did grab one of the vegetables to take a bite out of just to hold herself over.

Link came back not long later with some buckets in both of his hands, but he'd have to make a second run for more water since Zelda needed a bath as well. He'd taken his chainmail and his shirt off when he was in the wash room since they both needed to be cleaned anyway, and he went to open the door to the back of his loft settled on the ledge of the rock wall the building was adjacent to, opposite the side where the balcony was located. Moving through it, he sat a bucket down near the door before pushing it open to find Zelda.

Seeing her sitting on his bed eating a vegetable, he turned to sit the other bucket down on the floor next to the first and asked without even looking, "Lamb and fried vegetables?"

Zelda glanced over when the door had opened, seeing his shirtless form putting the bucket down, and she fought not to blush, but she couldn't help it. It wasn't that he was shirtless completely, but the way she'd noticed how his muscle flexed when he moved, and she felt very embarrassed over the sight of it. His hair pulled back into a ponytail and his toned skin in view, she wondered to herself if that was a proper response to have had, getting the oddest sense that she would've liked to have touched him, in order to trace his outlines and learn them much better than she'd had a chance to before, and it made her realize something.

Wouldn't his touch make her feel better over all that had happened? It might have been his hand that physically put her through the torment she'd felt in the Temple of Spirit which had left her feeling dirty and violated, but it wasn't his intentions, which made all of the difference. His eyes had gone red, but he may as well have been wearing black and had white hair too as far as she was concerned, because it just wasn't him. It was a stranger doing those things to her.

Once again, her skin crawled over the thought, and even though she was hungry, her stomach almost rejected the vegetable she'd just eaten when a rush of illness swept over her. Pushing the considerations from her mind for just a moment so that she could eat properly, she asked him in response to his question, "How did you know?"

"That's Gepsa's cooking," he returned, standing from setting the buckets down and looking over toward her with a wave of his hand, "I knew the smell before I came through the door." In response to that scent, his stomach had began rumbling like hers had. But he couldn't eat just yet, and told Zelda, "I'm going to have to make another trip for more water before we can both get cleaned up."

"Oh, about that, you don't," Zelda told him in response. "Nabooru wants to take me to where she lives so she can give me something to wear for now, and she said not to make you go get another load of water, that she would draw a bath for me when I got there."

Link listened, then he nodded his head as he'd walked toward the bed instead of heading out of the back door, reaching out to take one of the plates settled on the tray. Since he didn't have to worry about getting more water now, he took some if the lamb and began to eat it. "Alright, that's probably a good idea considering you...," he trailed and waved his hand at the shirt she was wearing. "You know."

With a slow nod, Zelda looked back to the food for a moment, telling him, "Yes, and it'll give me a chance to get to know Nabooru better while you get cleaned up." After she'd made the suggestion, she looked back up at him and added, "If that's okay, I mean. I don't know if you'd rather me stay here with you or not."

"Well, I don't want you bored when I'm bathing. So it sounds like perfect timing." He took another bite of his vegetable, and then he pursed his lips in thought over it, suddenly wondering if it really was a good idea.

Seeing the look, Zelda got the feeling something might have been wrong, and she asked, "What?"

When she asked, Link turned and sat down in his chair with a little sigh, settling the plate on his legs as he looked over at her. "I almost want to tell you not to go because I just remembered the last time you went out on your own."

She was abducted, Zelda thought to herself, and she could see where that paranoia stemmed from easily. "Well, we don't have to worry about your shadow anymore," she replied logically, "though, I won't typically be alone if you're really worried."

Link guessed she was right, wondering if he was just being paranoid. Still, she did need something to wear, and he couldn't just let her sit around and wait on him. That would have been controlling, even though he did feel the responsibility to keep her safe. But she was right, Dark Link wasn't a factor anymore, and the only real threats, as far as he knew, lay with Ganondorf now. So he nodded his head at her finally.

"You're right, I'm just worried, that's all. Considering what happened, I can't help it."

"I know, and I don't blame you. I want to keep looking over my shoulder now as well," she replied, standing up, her plate nearly finished, and she walked around the bed and sat on the side of it closer to the chair he was on. As she moved, Link found himself staring at her legs, and with the recent thoughts of events going through his mind, he felt both guilt to look at her, as if he'd lost any privilege he might've gained to do so, and also felt as if he couldn't stop at the same time. They were long and slender after all, smooth, fair skin, and Link did, in fact, have the urge to touch them, but definitely not in the manner he'd done so when he'd been under control of the evil entity that had created his mirror half.

It made him angry once more. Just feeling guilty when he knew it wasn't his fault caused most of it. But there was another reason as well, and that was his desire to actually get closer to her, much closer. Link knew a bit better than she did why he was so interested in being close, being intimate, why he felt the need to have her as had began to well up in him, and he also somehow felt that if he ever got the chance to have her after what happened, she would probably cringe away from him, reminded of what he'd done, even if she didn't blame him. To be blunt about it, it pissed him off.

His thoughts were a bit distracted though when she continued from her previous line, "I think we should be safe here for now though. We need a day to prepare ourselves before we move, don't you think? I mean, our next step is Hyrule Palace, isn't it? If that's the case, I don't see how resting for a day would hurt either of us one bit."

Considering that now instead of the long smooth legs he'd tried not to stare at before but had failed miserably in doing so, Link nodded, saying, "There's a Myriad Stone in the valley. We'll have to consult her and make sure, but I can agree with that. Preparing would be the best idea for now."

Nodding her head, Zelda finished off her plate and then set it on the tray, taking his when he'd finished and doing the same with it. Covering them again with the tray's lid, she looked back over at him and saw the expression on his face as he'd gone off into thought again, and he felt her hand on his, looking down at it, gently folding her fingers around his palm.

"What are you thinking about?"

He'd been considering the situation between the two of them once more, and shaking his head, he told her, "Nothing, just wondering what we might be told to do next, that's all."

It was a white lie, but he didn't want to talk about anything more until she'd returned from her bath. Zelda felt as if he might've been lying as well, but she also figured she knew why, which was because he still needed to mull everything over, just as she needed to. So she just let him think she believed him with another nod before a knock came to the door. "Zelda? I brought some clothing here so you don't have to wander around in Link's shirt."

"Oh, Nabooru," Zelda smiled, glad to hear Nabooru had brought her something to wear, then she stood up, heading to the door. Opening it, she thanked the Gerudo and took the clothing, heading toward the wash room with it. Watching her go to put it on, Nabooru looked over at Link from the doorway while she stepped inside and shut it behind herself, and she shook her head at the eighteen year old slowly.

Seeing the look, Link lifted a brow and stood up, asking her, "What?"

"Nothing," she replied, "just thinking about the condition you two were in when you showed up. It had me extremely worried."

"Oh," he nodded, "sorry, Nabooru. We went through a lot though."

"I'll say. Zelda told me a little bit of it. I'd ask if you were alright, but I know you'd just tell me not to worry about you."

Link had almost forgotten about how she'd known him so well, and he turned to his dresser and opened one of the drawers, looking for some clothing to change into once he'd gotten done bathing, hearing the clatter of plates when he turned to look back, spying Nabooru lifting the tray from the bed where they'd been left for the moment.

"I will be okay," he told her in reassurance while they both did their tasks, "I just need to figure it all out."

"That's what I'd thought," Nabooru replied before looking back, "so take some time when you're washing up. I'll make sure Zelda gets taken care of while you do, and you'll both be back to normal in no time."

Link had to smile as Nabooru grinned at him after she informed him of that, and he nodded, "Thanks. I hope so."

The door to the wash room opened when Link spoke, Zelda stepping out of it in a baby blue dress that wasn't too decorative, apparently just a quick garment Nabooru had pulled out of her things to bring over, but it was sleek and had only one sleeve, with a long slitted skirt. The both of them looked at the Princess and Nabooru whistled, "Now that's what I call classy. A woman who can make such a simple dress look so nice without anything else added to it. And oddly enough, that amulet you're wearing matches it perfectly."

Zelda smiled, "I had thought of that actually. It's a perfect fit too. We must be very similar in sizes."

"That's even better," Nabooru chuckled, reaching for the young lady's shoulder as she walked over before looking at Link. "Alright honey, let's leave the man alone to his bath. Don't worry, Link, we won't gossip behind your back," she stopped as she opened the door and allowed Zelda outside, "too much," she added with a grin.

Link snorted his amusement out and shook his head behind Nabooru, walking to the door when he told them both, "It's fine, I'm used to your gossip. But have her back soon, I really don't want her to know too many of my embarrassing stories."

He heard Nabooru laughing as she climbed down the ladder, and he smiled and shut the door. Link then headed over to the window and looked out of it when the two women walked off down the road, and the smile on his face slowly faded after a moment.

He hoped that when Zelda came back, they could have a smooth talk that ended up with them both on the same page over things. But for now, he just turned and went to take his bath in order to try not to worry too much about it all if he could, as well as to get over the anger he'd felt earlier. He didn't want to get too heated about anything, and a bath seemed like just the ticket.


	60. Time Will Tell

_Chapter 59 - Time Will Tell_

_Eighteen Years Prior_

The woods were dark under the moonlight, fireflies glowing in sporadic places as they drifted over the shrubbery and through the branches of the trees, over a pedestal where a sword was held, the sword of evil's bane, the Master Sword. The gentle sway of branches formed in the trees overhead created a relaxing rustling of leaves, the pedestal itself somehow illuminated with a holy light that seemed to make the entire area glow.

Dragmire looked over the scenery himself, lifting a singular brow in thought as he waited quietly. According to history's lore, it had been more than two hundred years since the swords last usage, settled here now ever since, untouched and unusable, until a hero chosen to wield it would come to collect. Lowering his black eyes, he wondered if perhaps the sword would be collected soon, and he mused over the consideration for a few moments silently before he heard the trotting of horse hooves slowly behind him.

Turning his head to look back quietly, he saw the white horse carrying the rider upon his back with steady steps, Myriad's hooded form somewhat depressing to gaze at as she had her head lowered while she went, and the vision made a smirk lift his lips. Myriad, he thought to himself, she'd finally seen the light. How ironic.

As the horse drew closer to where he stood, and he awaited her, he spoke, "Punctual, as you've always been."

Myriad didn't have a response to give him, silently riding toward the dark wizard without falter, pulling on the reigns of her horse once she was close enough. Casting her cool blue eyes toward him, she regarded him quietly, then turned to dismount in the same manner. Once she had, her white slippers hitting the soft earth of the forest, she walked in his general direction but not to him, instead past him, apparently more interested in the scenery than in the dark wizard she'd come to assist. Once she came to a stop before the indented platform slightly raised up by a few short steps in the earth, she let her eyes settle on the sword resting quietly where it had always been kept safe, unusable save for those who were chosen.

"The Master Sword," she spoke softly, then finally turned around to look at her opposite, "ironic isn't it?"

With a mild curiosity, Dragmire returned the words, "How is that, my lady?"

To his question, Myriad replied as she motioned to the platform behind her, "That the closest link this realm has to that which holds that which you seek should be marked by the one weapon which will inevitably spell out your doom."

Dragmire gave Myriad a quaint smile as he began to step toward her and the pedestal, his robed footfalls slowly stopping at the base of the two steps that led up onto the platform marked with the Triforce, thinking over what she'd just said. In response, he turned his face toward her as she stood there, replying, "I do indeed, though that fate remains to be seen. However, I also find it ironic that it took you this long to see the light of what you had to do, considering you're the Sage of such an element and reside over its Temple of worship. I have to wonder as well, don't you even find it at all revitalizing to know you could be about to receive that which it takes to undo my workings?"

Myriad had nothing to say in response to what he found ironic, simply turning on her feet and stepping up onto the platform itself, walking toward the Master Sword and around behind it, looking over to face him as the weapon of legend stood between the two of them like a sentinel while Dragmire stepped up onto the platform himself. Once they both came to a stop, Myriad gave him an answer to his question.

"That fate also remains to be seen, does it not?"

"Then you're pessimistic," Dragmire pointed out, seeming to suffer nothing from the revelation. "More's the pity," he smirked.

Her face remained completely even, and she looked up from the sword she'd been glancing at, over toward his face. "Pity or no, I am here, and wish to commence with what we've come to do. Don't tell me you're not equally as anxious, if not even more so than myself."

Dragmire seemed to consider her as she'd spoken. Lifting a hand, he waved it slowly to the side, and then spoke the words, "I am as ready as you are."

"Good," was her last spoken word, and she closed her eyes. Dragmire watched her, knowing she was about to invoke her own powers of light in loathing of what she was doing, shutting his own lids in revelation of that fact. As this happened, whirring, soft and distant, began to sound, growing in pitch and volume. The two reopened their eyes, the power they both possessed filling them equally, Myriad's completely white where Dragmire's were as black as pitch, and around them, orbs of both light and dark began to form in a circle.

A light rose from the pedestal on which they stood, slowly rising around them both, growing in brightness, the orbs surrounding them starting to flare out and move about them both in a circle. Trembling through the ground as their powers worked together with the purpose of releasing the seal of the Sacred Realm started to be felt, and beneath them, the pedestal began to fade away after a burst of energy rose up out of the platform on which they stood. The Master Sword faded into nothingness, the forest around them becoming consumed in a mist of clouds flowing through an abyss.

They were phasing from the world in which they lived and into that of the Sacred Realm, dark and light working together to open the portal, the two powers needing to combine to be powerful enough to do this. The abyss that began forming around them inevitably consumed the scenery, a strong wind picking up their clothing and hair in its aftermath. Focusing his powers on performing this task so that it would not go wrong, Dragmire grinned maliciously when he began to feel the shift in the world around him. The more he felt of it, the more he knew the Triforce would be his, and whatever she possessed of it would fall under his control.

Myriad was silent, knowing what it was he felt the longer he stood there. Her eyes went shut when she could feel it, the abyss of the Sacred Realm beginning to pull them both in, as she knew he could in turn.

It was now time to act.

With their being so close to seeing that horizon over which the Triforce would undoubtedly be settled, Myriad slowly lifted her hands and withdrew her energies from the effort completely, no longer participating in the opening of the portal. Dragmire himself could feel the loss in power, the tremor of collapse it caused to spread about them, his grin fading as the absence of her power closed in on him, trying to compensate for that loss with his own. What was she doing!?

Suddenly, the entire plan she had hit him.

"_Myriad!_"

His angry yell of her name didn't waylay her, her palms glowing brightly white, matching eyes opening to cast a determined, opposing stare in the wizard's direction, and instead of completing the opening of the portal by continuing to combine her power with his, she turned that invoked energy upon him with a pull of her arms forward before herself. A burst of light energy shot forth and toward him from them as she did with an unforgiving sound of power charging him down, slamming into his torso and spreading about his form mercilessly.

Dragmire was unable to counter the strike due to his efforts of keeping the portal open, and he was knocked backwards, her own form suddenly disappearing from sight completely in a shimmering of purple and blues when she was consumed by the realm without him, becoming trapped on the other side without the power to reopen the portal as she needed his to do so just as much as he needed hers. The loud whir that filled their ears began fading away into nothingness within the blinking of an eye while Dragmire was pushed off of the pedestal completely, landing several yards away on the forest floor.

He gathered himself as quickly as he could and looked up, seeing the pedestal before him, the weapon perched upon it, the trees of the forest surrounding him again, and nothing else. Myriad was gone, completely gone, pulled completely into the Sacred Realm.

"No..."

Pushing himself up, he moved toward the pedestal, his hands encompassed by a black energy as he used his fists to slam them down into the platform itself, trying to do as they'd been doing before, the thought that Myriad would actually place herself inside of the Sacred Realm in order to keep him from obtaining the Triforce or any part of it playing through his mind again and again while the pedestal trembled against his power but did not bend to his will.

"_No!_"

She would no doubt reinforce any seals he would try to break on entering the realm as well, and he could already feel his efforts to open the realm alone thwarted by power that had to be hers atop the strength of its own accord.

"_Myriad!_" He drew out her name angrily, the sound of his voice echoing through the trees.

With the effort of his yell, he pushed himself up and stepped back and away from the pedestal, a malicious scowl cast toward it and the sword that rested upon it. Even in his immense anger, a small bit of hope formed in his mind. She was far too righteous to take any part of the Triforce as her own in order to make the seal stronger. She would only use her own power, and that, he knew eventually, he could find a way to undo and break through.

But he'd underestimated her will to stop him, the lengths she to which she would go. After all, she had a husband, and much which she loved in her life. Dragmire had known Myriad to be many things, but a martyr had never been one of them.

Sneering as he backed away, staring now only at the sword, he growled an angry sound from his throat, still infuriated despite knowing that his upstanding counterpart would not do the wise thing and use the tools she had within her grasp now in order to stop him even, though she'd gone to such great lengths to begin with.

"Mark my words, Myriad, your righteousness will be your undoing."

After promising the words lowly, Dragmire let his eyes settle on the Master Sword for several long moments in deep consideration over the weapon. It was but a short time later that he returned to the Temple of Light. Stepping through the corridor that led into the forest in which the weapon of evil's bane was kept safe, the custodians and members of the Temple's order, the unspoken monks who had no words, all sat in silence when he returned, an old Hylian named Brahm amongst them. Looking up to see Dragmire stepped down from the archway, Brahm stood from where he sat with an inquisitiveness upon his face that looked somewhat dire.

"My lord, where is Myriad?"

Before Brahm could ask anything else or even think to breathe, Dragmire grabbed the man's collar and lifted him up without struggle, making the older Hylian gasp in response.

"What did she say to you?," Dragmire demanded once he had the Hylian captive in his grasp.

"She told me she would not be returning!," Brahm replied swiftly, fear lacing his voice, then shook his head, "Aside that, she said nothing. I begged her to tell me more, but she would not speak."

Dragmire knew the old priest was telling the truth, and he turned his arm and cast the man onto the floor carelessly. Brahm stumbled and fell, looking back at Dragmire with a bit of fear in his eyes as the dark wizard informed him, "She has sealed herself, as well as her power, inside of the Sacred Realm. She has apparently abandoned you all."

"What!? But, why, how?" Brahm shook his head, not questioning Dragmire's words for certain, but he couldn't help, despite his fear of the man's wrath, showing his disbelief.

"I've yet to figure this out, unless she is after the Triforce," Dragmire told him in falsehood, then he looked back at the archway that led into the forest. As he did, his thoughts went to the Master Sword, the one he knew Myriad had spoken the truth over, which could be the one tool used to end him completely, and he narrowed his brows, his hand forming a black energy about it. Brahm gasped, backing away as that energy was drawn, watching with wide eyes while Dragmire lifted his arm and then unfolded his hand, the power he'd summoned moving forth and slamming into the archway, forming a mirror where it stood, sealing it all off completely.

As he did this, Dragmire spoke the words, "Only the chosen shall see the truth path," smirking before he turned and added, "only the chosen will return stronger." He looked down at Brahm who had pushed himself up slowly, staring at the mirror for a moment, and then to the wizard created it before he'd looked over at him.

When Dragmire had his attention, he said, "This will protect the woods from anyone who might wish to do harm here, especially in anger of Myriad's abandonment, don't you agree?"

"Y-yes, my lord," Brahm replied immediately, though he was completely uncertain about everything to begin with. Still, he didn't have the power or the authority to question Dragmire, and he had to accept what the wizard deemed proper for the situation.

"Good. You are now steward of this Temple. As such, you'll be expected to report any happenings promptly. Is this understood?"

"It is," Brahm nodded, and Dragmire, appeased by the man's words, turned and began to walk away, toward the door, Brahm watching him go with a grim expression on his face while the wizard's footfalls followed by the door shutting behind him filled his pointed ears. Once Dragmire was gone, Brahm looked toward the mirror, and he whispered out, "Myriad, what has happened?"

As Dragmire moved toward the entry chamber of the temple, he saw the front doors opening, the Captain of the Knights of Hyrule walking into the foyer. "Casimir," he called out, "did you come here seeking Myriad?"

Gaining the man's attention, Casimir looked over to see his superior. "I did, as the King ordered, my lord," he replied respectfully.

"Good," Dragmire commended him, "then stay for a while, make sure the new steward is doing his job correctly."

Dragmire passed Casimir, leaving the Captain in a bit fo confusion, turning to ask, "Sir? New steward?"

Opening the door, Dragmire looked back, informing him, "Myriad has opened the Sacred Realm and sealed herself inside of it. We may have a problem arising in her. I believe she could be after the Triforce itself."

"I see," Casimir responded, "and I will do your bidding of course. You'll inform the King and Queen of my whereabouts?"

"Of course," Dragmire replied as if he didn't have a care in the world. "Let me know the moment an event arises, Casimir. This is a delicate matter that needs to be handled spotlessly."

"Yes, my lord," Casimir nodded, watching the dark wizard leave altogether. Dragmire continued heading out, though not by simply walking. The one good thing about Myriad's actions, despite the fact that he could not simply lay his hands on that which he wanted most right now, was that she would not be interfering any longer with his affairs. This would leave him free to find the keys he needed to reach both her and the Triforce she'd taken it upon herself to protect.

It would take him seven long years to find the tools he needed, six maidens descended from ancient sages who had to be sacrificed in order to unlock the seal Myriad had reinforced on the Sacred Realm, all of them standing around the platform where the Master Sword rested, their eyes white due to the control they were under. Standing in a complete circle, awaiting their lives to be sucked away at the whims of the wizard controlling them, using his power in order to sacrifice them one by one, he watched them all fall to the ground, their bodies shimmering and disintegrating away into a single orb of light that rose from each of them and combined overhead in order to charge powerfully down into their executioner.

With their lives sacrificed, the Sacred Realm opened a second time for Dragmire, allowing him complete entry. The realm itself must have been humongous, mists and clouds surrounding the vision of the truth when he first emerged, but that mist slow faded away the further in he found himself. It was on the top of a towering cliff that the mists finally began to vanish, his sight leading into the distance revealing the scene to him of the sacred relic of the Goddesses he'd sought so vigilantly.

Settled in the sky overlooking the realm from a magic pedestal where it rested safely, the Triforce shined like a beacon down over the lands, lush valleys and clear running waters as far as the eye could see. Distant moons and worlds eclipsed themselves in the sky about it as if a simple garnish to the main meal of a plate. It was pristine and perfect, and the Triforce served like a shining sun, glimmering over it all.

But this was only a small part of the realm, very small indeed. Who knew what else lay in the abysses that engulfed the areas around him outside of what he saw now? But his vision was fixated on that which he craved, the power he sought, the reflection of the golden object glinting in his black eyes as if it would be the soul light shimmering within his dark soul.

As Dragmire stared at the assembled Triforce settled in his vision, he heard an all too familiar, well-spoken voice.

"So, you finally found a path to that which you sought seven years before now."

Dragmire, turning to look back, saw her shadow emerging from the mists behind him. Narrowing his brows, he fisted a hand and spoke, "Myriad." As she approached him, her form becoming completely visible, unchanged over those seven years she'd resided within the realm, his ire of past transgressions faded slowly, and he relaxed his fist from balling it over the anger he still had over her trickery.

Instead of letting that take hold of him, he replied to her comment of finally making his way into the Sacred Realm after all of these years, knowing she would find remorse in the methods he'd had to use to do so.

"Yes," he started, "it was clever, what you did seven years ago. You must feel some type of pride for what you accomplished. The sacrifice of six innocent maidens descended from ancient Sages was needed in order to open the portal again. You must be very proud."

Myriad had stepped to stand next to him on the edge of the cliff side overlooking the scenery, about six feet away from him, her hooded face unchanging in the face of the words spoken. Perhaps, Dragmire thought, there was something different about her after all, it simply didn't show in her visage. Normally, she might have hissed at him, told him he would be the one to suffer for what he'd done, but instead, she'd just stood there calmly, quietly, without retort.

"You've nothing to say, Myriad?"

"Not in response to such childish attempts to rile me," she told him calmly. Finally, she turned her face to his, and he could see some type of new light in her eyes now that she was closer, one that had not previously been there from memory of her, one that made her look wise and perhaps even ethereal, divine. His curiosity grew by leaps and bounds. What had the stay in this realm done, made her wiser? Stronger? What had a presence lived for so longer in the presence of the Triforce given her?

As he questioned this, Myriad told him in addition once she'd looked upon him, "Their sacrifice was needed, and they will not suffer the evils of the world they were born into any longer. Now, they will find caring under the watchful eye of their Goddesses in the promised land, as all of those who have sacrificed for fate do."

The way that Myriad spoke the words made Dragmire forget all transgressions she'd performed against him at all in wanting to know more of what she was saying to him now, knowing in someway that the stay in the Sacred Realm had granted the Sage of Light with more wisdom than the world they were born in could ever do. Her seven year long protection of the Triforce while under its constant gaze must have impacted her powerfully, and with the knowledge of such a fact, came an even greater desire to actually possess a piece of the relic, or all of it, for himself.

Myriad, seeing the desire there in his eyes, looked ahead again at the Triforce, and she began to speak, "Look at it, Dragmire. Look and contemplate, how this powerful relic, left by our Goddesses as a representation of their power, could both cause good or evil, light or darkness, and by simply gazing upon it, shed the veil of mysteries we'd always pondered, yet never solved. Seven long years have I gazed at it in question, and I can tell you in all honesty, it has revealed many things to me that I previously would not have considered."

Dragmire had done as she'd told him to, looking upon the relic in the far distance, contemplating those very things she spoke of, and already in doing so, he felt empowered to simply behold it as he was. She was right. Just to look upon it somehow seemed invigorating, seemed to inspire thought, strength, and motivation alike. It was as if perfection was gleaming down upon them both, tangible, attainable, and within reach.

But it wasn't enough.

"It is time now, Myriad," he started as he thought this over, "to finish what we traveled to do so long ago." He finally tore his gaze from that shining emblem and looked back at her, adding, "If it is fate which drove me here through action of sacrifice as you have just stated, then you know this as well."

"I do," Myriad agreed readily, turning her own gaze much more easily from the Triforce and toward him, informing him, "however, fate does change with action, and I will not do what we originally came to."

Dragmire narrowed a brow, turning to face her in question, "Then you will now fight me to keep it safe, even though you yourself just admitted such an act would be futile?"

"No," she shook her head, also turning to face him completely. "I will help you to claim that which you are destined to. But I will not claim any part of it for myself. This is not my own fate." She held up her hand before he could react to stop him from speaking or moving, adding the words, "Before you try to use force and make me obtain that which I do not desire, I want for you to admit the truth of what you want here and now, in the presence of the symbol you've so long pined after, Dragmire. What is it, swimming in your soul that you desire most?"

Dragmire gave her a dark gaze, and his words were clear and spoken without need for thought. "The Triforce in its entirety. Why ask questions to which you already know the answers?"

Myriad, lowering her hand, looked back out across the scenery by turning her head instead of her entire body, and though she'd seen the sight several times now, she was awed by it every time she looked. In seeing her movement, Dragmire himself couldn't resist the urge to also glance back toward the relic and the scenery it resided over. In doing so, she spoke to him an answer.

"Because there are things you do not understand, answers you do not yet comprehend. You will, once the full relic is in your possession."

Trickery, he thought to himself. She was attempting to trick him into trying to obtain the whole thing. With the thought in mind, he reached out toward her in order to grasp her throat, but her form shimmered away from him, and he heard her voice coming from the other side of his body.

"Still so quick to action, Dragmire," she told him evenly. "I've allowed no one to touch me for seven years, and I will not allow you to do so now."

Dragmire, with an angry glare, invoked his dark power into his fists and turned quickly, aiming his hand. In doing so, that power moved toward the woman swiftly, hitting the ground near her feet and forming a barrier of darkness up and around her in order to keep her in one place. As it rose and bound her where she stood, Dragmire began to approach it, but he stopped when she stepped toward the barrier encompassing her, her form shimmering, simply stepping through the dark magic without much effort at all, the barrier cracking and breaking away behind her.

"What...?" He couldn't help the question as he witnessed this, his brows narrowing over the scene in hard confusion.

"Dragmire," Myriad started, still stepping toward him, "will you now listen to my reason? You know as well as I do that seven years ago, your magic would have bound me, for a time at least. Yet now, I am able to walk through it without suffering. If I can do this now, then surely you must understand I am privy to more knowledge than you have been, and this is not some attempt at trickery on my part, as I performed seven years prior."

She had to be telling something of the truth at least, Dragmire knew, for it was true that she had not previously had the ability to simply walk through a barrier of his magic like that. As she stopped before him, he demanded of her, "Then tell me your secrets, Myriad. Tell me the secrets of the Triforce."

Myriad continued to gaze up at him evenly, and as she did, she began to glow.

"Why not allow it to tell you itself?"

After she'd asked him the question, the scenery in the distance of greenery and land began to stretch out as if warped and skewed, when suddenly, the surrounding area in which they stood seemed to shoot past the both of them with a rush of sensation and movement as if traveling at a swift speed, bringing them much, much closer to the Triforce, slowing in the wake of it. The relic itself loomed down on them both before a brightly glowing light of magic that bound it together.

With the powerful relic so close now, so ominously staring down at them, blotting out everything else before their vision as she'd transported them onto the magical pedestal which held the emblem up on high, it was much more beautiful up close than so far away. Its three pieces pulsed with the power they contained, red, blue, and green underlaying a vibrant gold, illuminating the area into a near pure whiteness the encompassed the two standing there now. Myriad began as he gazed up at it, "You once told me that only one worthy could contain the pieces all together, but one worthy in the eyes of the Goddesses would not possess characteristics or traits of our world. Do you remember those lines?"

"I do," he replied, the apparent awe he was in as he looked up at the large relic which seemed to glimmer in the three different colors representing the Goddesses which was only visible to see when at the close distance they were at now. There sounded a whispering amidst a low humming from the triangles that was indiscernible to understand, but sounded divine in itself, enough so to send chills up and down the flesh. "I do remember," he added nearly breathlessly.

His reaction was not to be unexpected, as Myriad herself had felt the same way when initially staring up at it as he was doing now. While she had no desire to possess the valuable emblem, she did have that to see it closely, to gaze at the care, power, and respect her creators had made her with, residing in the relic as a powerful reminder of such actions Din, Nayru, and Farore had performed. She'd felt it, in that moment, to be the most divine experience she'd ever had, and knew that no other would ever match unless she was to meet the three sisters themselves.

"Then know now that you were absolutely right," she told him after he'd admitted to remembering his lines of who was and was not worthy, "and you, Dragmire, have those characteristics of this realm, as I do. It is not my fate to possess a piece with you, yet for you to possess the entirety of it alone. You have accomplished that which no one before you has, your desire and drive to harness this relic proven with your dedication to it. You _are_ worthy, Dragmire. You and I are creatures made in the divine light of the Goddesses, and no matter our differences that have put us at odds, you have used your gift of wit and drive of motivation to achieve powers which were placed here for us all to obtain should we want them. When I say that it is not my fate to hold a piece of this relic with you, I am completely right."

The words made absolutely perfect sense to him, and with them spoken, he looked back at her from the gleaming light, knowing now that the seven years of pondering had led her to see exactly as he had beforehand. In looking over at her, he made a grin of certainty, balling his fist. "If this relic can enlighten one so much without possession, then I am more anxious than ever to see what it can do once completely possessed."

Myriad, her eyes cast toward him, then up at the relic which was within reach, staring down at them so powerfully, offered him on a quiet, truthful voice filled with intrigue, "It could turn them into a living deity were it desired."

"Yes," he nodded in agreement, and Myriad watched him looking back at it, taking in her breath.

"Take it, Dragmire. Fulfill the role you were born to and harness its power. Your time is now."

He couldn't have looked elsewhere or done any differently. His hands crept slowly toward the large emblem, pressing against the powerful barrier that held it all together, bright, powerful light washing out in swift ripples beneath his fingertips. Winds from the energy began to whip about them both, gusting swiftly, and a light between the three triangles started to form forth as Dragmire could feel the power encompassing him, drawing into his mind, filling his body and, much more, his lightless soul.

The barrier he touched began to shimmer while this happened, and Myriad took a step back, awaiting what she knew was inevitably coming. She had not lied to Dragmire, seven years in the presence of the sacred relic had, in fact, left her to become wiser for it, enlightened her in ways she'd never before considered. Her power had grown in her newfound knowledge, and much of what she'd said had indeed been the truth.

This knowledge simply made her task of protecting what she cared for much easier. Now she awaited the final outcome to take place.

The three pieces started shifting slowly away from one another, the top, left, and right all parting. A slow, repetitive humming pulse began sounding, and Dragmire watched, unable to help but wonder what was happening. With a loud whir of energy, the three pieces took on much more solid, and very separate, colors - red, blue, and green - and the sound became deafening the louder it grew, until suddenly, everything went silent. It was in this silence that he realized what had happened.

The blue and green Triforces began to shimmer out of existence, fading away in the blinking of an eye, and the red started to glow brightly, forming into a large orb of light above him. The barrier that had contained the relic burst away from it completely, and that light slammed downwards into him, empowering him, consuming him as he in turn consumed it.

Everything went black.

Myriad watched Dragmire's still body slumping to the magical pedestal, laying before her in the aftermath of his newfound possession. While she watched, she heard a sound in the distance and looked back as an unseen energy burst forth from Dragmire and the pedestal on which they stood, that energy spreading throughout the landscapes behind them, turning the once lush, green valley into a dry, nearly barren wasteland. She took in her breath slowly as the colors changed from vibrant to stale, and then looked back over at Dragmire.

The deed had been done. She'd served her purpose, and he now contained but one instead of two pieces of the Triforce. Dissected as it now was, the relic would be much weaker than if all three sections were combined, but within themselves, would grant the possessor much power of their own.

She took a deep breath, the faces of those she sought to protect in her mind as she closed her eyes, and not long after, heard a sharp cry of anger. She awaited what was to come, did not open her eyes to see it while her enemy pushed himself up from the unconsiousness he'd been engulfed in after he'd gained the Triforce of Power.

Bonds of magic wrapped around her, shackles forming over her body as Dragmire turned to face her, his eyes gleaming with a red light that was nothing less than infuriated. She was consumed within the barrier he'd began creating for her, her feet leaving the ground while she was lifted, and as she was bound, she used her own power to combine with that of the Triforce half being used to capture her now.

"Myriad, you have made your final act of defiance upon me. Now you will remain in this realm which you have chosen for yourself to become your home. Never again will you return to gaze upon the faces of those you love, and never again will they in turn see you. You shall be bound here for an eternity."

The angrily spoken words were the last she heard told to her before she was left upon the magical pedestal on which the Triforce was previously held, overlooking the once lush, now barren lands while sealed inside of the realm with the power of the relic she'd protected itself binding her. Seeing the wasteland that Dragmire had left the realm in, she closed her eyes and let her head bow forward.

With her talents, she induced herself into a deep slumber, knowing that now, the only one who could finish this was the Hero of Legend that both realms awaited to return things to how they had once been. His gathering of the Master Sword would be the action that would awaken her. Time would tell when this would happen, and only time would tell if she would, in fact, be bound there for an eternity.

As she fell into her slumber, she whispered words in her mind just before blackness consumed her thoughts.

_Link...you and Lyonel are my hope now..._


	61. Until Morning

_Chapter 60 - Until Morning_

Link had cleaned his weapons and his clothing thoroughly, had finished a short while before it had grown dark outside, and in all of that time, he felt as if he'd finally come to a few conclusions on more than just the events surrounding the previous day. The Spirit Temple had definitely not been a pleasing experience however. Nearly dying, then being forced into attempting to rape and kill the one he loved before taking his own life wasn't exactly a day he put in his good book.

Link sat down on his bed quietly as the room started growing dimmer in the light of the setting sun, deciding he had to try to stop thinking about it because he needed to focus on the near future. The fight for Hyrule was really beginning to draw close with the keys they needed in their possession, and Link knew that for now, the Gerudo would be safe. Ganondorf wouldn't send anyone out there, not when he knew that Link and Zelda would come to him now. So there was at least one consideration he didn't have to worry too much over.

Now he could focus on the present. But in order to do so, he had to wait for someone to come back to his loft first. "Where is she?" The words had been spoken when he'd gone to his window, looking outside to see if he could spot her and Nabooru, or perhaps even one of the other Gerudo, coming down the roadside. But in the dying light of day, all he saw were a few Gerudo, and no sign of Zelda.

Shouldn't she have been back by now? Nabooru was probably chattering away about some embarrassing story as he'd suggested before, and had lost track of the time. So, Link decided, he should go pry Zelda out of Nabooru's grasp for a while, especially before she could give Zelda anything to pick on him about. Turning, he'd gone to his door and left, finding Nabooru's home without trouble and giving her a knock.

"Zelda left with Masita an hour ago. She isn't back yet?"

The information made Link grumble. Masita? With a mutter beneath his breath, he'd told Nabooru no and went to find her. This time he was a little quicker to make it to the next home because, with as many stories as Nabooru could have told Zelda, Masita could have said things that were just downright mortifying if she had the mind to, and it wasn't just about Link. When Link got to her home however, Masita told him that she'd taken Zelda to look for clothing, and Zelda had then, apparently, been offered to get a meal with Gepsa and Emilyn, whom were mother and daughter, and had agreed because she'd thought to bring something to Link to eat.

This was getting ridiculous.

Link decided he'd never let Zelda head off with Nabooru - or any other woman for that matter - ever again. It was already dark out, and making his way to Gepsa's home, Link almost wasn't surprised when he found out that Zelda wasn't there. When he asked, Gepsa said that Zelda went back to his loft, so at least there was _some_ good news. Heading back to his own home now, wishing he'd just stayed put to begin with all while he muttered about women and how they were so complicated, he started climbing his ladder back up to his door and then pushed it open.

She wasn't there. Link wanted to pull his hair out, but he did find comfort in the fact that at least the food Gespa had given her was sitting on the dresser under a tin covered tray. Idly, he lifted the lid to see several fruits beneath the tin, cut up and decorated with a sweet dip in a center bowl, and he set the lid back down with a soft sigh. The Wash Room door was open, and no one was in there, so Link could only guess now at where the Hylian Royal had gone. Hopefully it wasn't to look for him as he'd been doing her.

He had a good mind to go to Myriad's Stone in the valley and use it to find her since she was a sage as well and would have been able to hear him if he wanted her to, but the sound of a door creaking behind him drew him from his considerations. He looked back, seeing Zelda walking in from the very back door beyond the wash room. Turning around in order to face her completely and ask her where she'd been, he suddenly stopped. He was about to tell her all of the things he'd been considering, that she was never wandering off again if only for the running around he'd done to try to find her, but the sight of what she was wearing knocked any thought he'd currently been having out of his head completely.

It was a sheer garment, but not entirely see through, though it left little to the imagination as far as shape was concerned, a pink top that tied below her breasts allowing for her flat stomach to be seen. Her hair was untied, hanging freely about her shoulders and her lower back, and across her forehead was a golden chain with a pink stone in the center, matching the same type of chain around her belly, hanging just beneath her navel. A long skirt with slits up the sides, edged with golden threads in ornate patterns graced her legs - traditional Gerudo clothing to be sure - but Link could only wonder if Zelda knew what the true intentions of the garment she wore now actually were.

She stood there quietly, barefoot, a little cold, but it wasn't as cold in the loft due to the wood stove she'd started a fire burning in, which she'd just come back into the home from setting some trash outside in a tin barrel she'd had to clear out of the stove before lighting it. Folding her hands together against her stomach when she saw him with a slight bit of embarrassment she was pushing herself to overcome, having wondered when he might return and where he'd gone, and now seeing the look on his face over what she was wearing, she asked him somewhat shyly, "What do you think? Could I pass for a Gerudo?"

The little joke knocked him slightly out of his staring stupor, and with a few blinks of his eyes, Link took in a breath for the first time since he'd looked at her, or so it seemed like, and he replied, "I think you...you're...it's..."

She smiled over the way he stumbled over his words, guessing it was exactly what she wanted it to be. Finally, as she waited patiently to let him get his words right, he finished getting a proper sentence out, "It's lovely, Zelda," then he shook his head, stepping around the side of his bed, asking, "who gave it to you? Nabooru?"

"No, actually," Zelda responded, watching him moving toward the end of his bed and coming to a stop, wearing his boots, a pair of tan pants, and his white tunic, his hair pulled back into the ponytail he normally kept it in with his bangs framing his face. When he stopped, she finished, "I got it from Masita."

"Masita?" After he asked the name, he figured maybe it was Masita's way of saying, without words, that she thought they made a good couple, because the garment Zelda now wore was considered by the Gerudo to be one worn by a virgin who was giving herself to a man for the first time. With a softly amused breath released from his mouth, he asked, "Did she tell you what the garment is actually for?"

He'd expected Zelda to shake her head no, get curious, and then ask him, but she surprised him. She nodded. At first, he was going to explain, but then the nod registered in his head and he stopped himself. "Wait, she did?"

Slowly, still staring at him, her face slightly blank but filled with emotion somehow, she nodded again. "Yes, she told me, because I asked."

The words might as well have been a boulder rolling down a hill toward him, because he could have sworn they'd knocked him off of his feet. She'd _asked_? If she'd asked, then did that mean she...

His brain had gone completely blank, just as his face had. Zelda was fidgeting her hands together against her stomach. She was apparently nervous, and that told him she'd meant to wear the garment, meant to actually give herself to him that evening.

When it clicked, he suddenly couldn't stop himself from speaking. "Zelda, wait," Link held up his hand up, turning his eyes toward her, but even as he wanted to speak, he somehow didn't know what to say. "You want to..."

Zelda knew the explanation needed to be given, and somehow she found this harder than she thought she might have. Well, deep down she did know it would be hard, but the hope that it wouldn't had kept her optimistic over it. Finally, she stepped toward him a few paces, and then waved her hands as she looked down, "I know how it seems, Link. I just kept thinking about you today, and about the near future, and everything we're going to go through very soon now probably. I also kept remembering the way I feel about what happened yesterday."

Those were the words he'd been waiting to hear, sucking in his breath to prepare for them. "The way you feel about yesterday?"

"Yes," she nodded, slowly glancing back up at him. "I took a bath, for an hour, and it still didn't make me feel any cleaner. Link, it's almost like he's still touching me, like his hands are still on me, and his lips are close to my ear with those vulgar words, those lies he kept speaking."

Link watched her as she spoke, saw her wrapping her arms around herself, feeling completely bad now about everything once again. He couldn't stop himself from saying, "I'm sorry, Zelda."

The words made her turn her face to look up at him, and she shook her head and reached for his hand, her actions urgent, "No! No, I don't mean you. It's nothing there but him, if it were you, I'd feel strangely even telling you about this. It might have been your body he used at one point, but it wasn't even you touching me. Link," she sighed out and trailed off, moving toward him, putting his arm around her back, "I can't stand feeling like this, so I..."

He got quiet as he watched her speaking, her fingers idly folding into his shirt in order to give her something to concentrate on while she tried to think of the right words to speak. So he finished for her, his voice a soft murmur, "You think if I touch you now, it will wash all of that away."

She nodded, a lump forming in her throat, making her next words a bit strained and quiet, "Yes, I know it will." She turned her violet blue gaze up at him and added, "But that's not the only reason. I also just," she paused, "I just want to be with you."

Link stared at down at her, lifting a hand to her cheek after a quiet moment, one which she placed her palm over and held there, and as he regarded her face, coming a bit closer to her, he whispered, "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?," she asked on an equally hushed voice, her heart skipping a beat as he leaned in.

"Hopeful," Link replied, coming closer until his nose brushed hers, "that look I can't turn away from," and with the words he kissed her deeply. Zelda wrapped her arms around him and pulled herself against him tightly, returning the kiss as if she needed it instead of simply wanting it, whimpering softly while his arms encompassed her.

Holding onto her, he let a low moan in response to her whimper, her body fully pressed against his, taking in the taste of her - she must have eaten some of the fruit already because there was a familiar sweetness on her tongue - before slowly drawing back. In breaking the kiss, he took a deep breath, resting his forehead against hers, saying, "We really shouldn't do this, Zelda."

She opened her eyes, breathless from the heated way he'd kissed her, her nose still brushing his as she asked on the same tone of voice in a completely curious manner, "Why not? Because we're not married?"

"Only in the Goron City," he muttered out softly, then shook his head with a sigh, "Yes, for one. But also, because I–"

"Link," Zelda interrupted him softly. "Marriage is the traditional way, yes, but," she took in a breath and continued with a slow shake of her head, "these aren't traditional times. I know you feel honor bound not to spoil me, but what if we never get that chance? I'm not being pessimistic, but look at what we face now. What if things do actually come to worse no matter how good we both feel the outcome will be. I can't have the only intimate memories, despite what we shared before, being those of you under the control of evil."

It made a good bit of sense. There was always the possibility that they would never get this moment, this point in time again, and opening his eyes, looking down at her, he knew that he agreed completely. Their eyes were locked as they both stood there, and Zelda, her hands upon his shoulders, asked, "If it were a good time, and our near future steady and certain, would you," she trailed, not wanting to sound as if it were something she was pining for completely, but merely curious over instead, looking down for a moment before she finished, "ask me to be your wife?"

Link couldn't hesitate with his answer, knowing it right away, "Yes, I would."

Zelda couldn't help a slow smile gracing her lips. Her eyes closed, her lips parted, emotions welling deep within her, and she whispered, "I'd accept." With a shaky breath, she added on a slightly weak voice, "I've never felt so nervous as I do now, Link. But I do need you, want you, I can't deny that. It's good enough for me to know you'd marry me if opportunity presented itself if we're concerned about doing this right."

Her words had been soft and full of honesty. As she shook because of her anxiety, he pulled her closer, rubbing her back with his fingers to try to relax her, lifting his face so that his mouth was settled against her temple. She'd been victimized just as he had in all of this, but there was more than just the healing they both required from that incident. There was the need to have a piece of happiness for themselves while they awaited confrontation, the need to be together and stay together. The need to be closer.

She wanted him because she loved him, and because he was the only one who could make her feel better, had admitted that fact herself several times. She was scared of what she wanted, but brave enough to ask for it anyway because she knew she needed it, knew they both wanted it, and didn't want to pass up the only chance they may ever have. Link lifted his hand to her chin, raising it slowly so she'd look at him, and brushed his thumb across her cheek where a tear had fallen. When her eyes met his face, he softly spoke his words.

"You don't have to be nervous, but even if you are, just tell me, love. I think we both need this, need to remember how we feel, to make everything else go away for just a little while, to remind us of what we're fighting for. If it's what you really want, if you're sure about it, I can't say no to you."

"Yes," Zelda replied, "I'm sure. I know I am, no matter how nervous I've become."

Link sighed in his breath with a slightly anguished expression on his face due to the anticipation he felt, hearing those words bringing it out even more with the thought of what they were agreeing on, and he leaned in and kissed her once again. It started out slowly enough, but as time drew on, it grew more and more intense. It was as if he just couldn't stop himself from both giving her what she wanted as well as fulfilling what he did also and somehow felt as if he couldn't get close enough to her at the same time.

They both grew completely breathless, and Zelda clung to him for what felt like might've been dear life. As he kissed her and, though she didn't really notice, moved them both toward the side of the bed, all she could concentrate on was his touch against the small of her back, the way his fingers sent shivers up and down her skin, tingles of sensation like he might've been using some kind of magic on it, and she knew it wasn't magic at all. It was almost maddening that his touch could have that kind of effect on her, wondering if, when she touched him, it had the same effect.

After just a moment, she let him pull his lips away to break the kiss, and her chest heaved with her panted breathing while he sat down on the bed.

Link went to reach for her to pull her into his lap, but she took his hands to stop him and shook her head, asking him to wait for just a moment. Lowering his hands, though curious of why, he did as she requested.

While he watched her, Zelda reached up with trembling fingers, and grabbed the tie beneath her breasts, tugging it loose. She let it open before she pushed the straps off of her shoulders slowly. Link didn't stop her, allowed her to continue, watching the garment falling away from her chest as she offered him to see her, revealing her finely shaped upper body to him. As she put the top at the foot of the bed, she finally looked at his face, taking in her breaths deeply and slowly. He may have seen her topless before now, but the implications of what they were actually going to do made it different this time. There was a permanent stain of blush on her cheeks, one she knew wouldn't go away for the rest of the night probably.

How had he gotten so lucky again? He wasn't completely sure about it at all, but whatever got him there he'd like to find and thank. She was, had always been, gorgeous, the way a woman should look if she'd been mirrored after the Goddesses themselves in his opinion, and he couldn't help staring at her, until the need to touch her and have her back against him overwhelmed him.

With a deep breath sighed out through his parted lips, he reached for her finally and pulled her down with him as he moved back across the bed. Zelda moved, feeling a bit lightheaded as she lifted her knee and set it onto the mattress, then the other, and she watched him sitting back slowly. He grabbed the hem of his tunic and pulled on it, tugging it out of his pants before pulling it up over his head and tossing it onto the floor rather carelessly. Zelda remembered seeing him shirtless once or twice, but she hadn't gotten a good glimpse of him, the first time forcing herself not to look, and the second he'd had a good bit of bandages on him.

Now that she could see him much more clearly, she let herself look while he leaned forward to take his boots off and set them aside, saw a slight line of completely healed scars along his left pectoral that were very light and almost unnoticeable, but she knew where to look for them. She was glad they had left ugly marks as she knew they could have, though that wouldn't have changed her opinion about him one bit.

Staying quiet for a moment as he finally turned back to her and slowly laid her back, her heart skipping so many beats she figured it should have probably just stopped altogether, she let her fingers run up along the line of scars slowly just to try to calm herself down a bit. In doing so, she turned her eyes up to his face and said, "They healed very well."

He gave her a nod, reaching for her hand against his skin and taking it, threading his fingers through hers. Leaning on his other arm by her opposite side, he just looked at her for a moment, more than just her face, her arms, her breasts, her flat stomach, wanting to take her in. So quietly just letting his eyes roam over her somehow made her skin tingle, and she somewhat breathlessly asked him, "What are you thinking?"

He was completely honest with his reply, his eyes settling on her breasts for a moment, then her flushed face, and he told her, "That you're gorgeous, and that I want this to last for as long as it can."

Zelda squeezed his hand when he spoke those sentiments, letting her free hand wander up along his back slowly, feeling him lowering himself against her. When he did, and her breasts flattened out beneath his chest, her eyes closed and she felt a tightness in her throat that made her breath get stuck there. Just a simple touch was so enjoyable.

"What are _you_ thinking?" She heard him asking her after her eyes closed.

"That you feel so warm."

Her breathless reply was made as her hand wandered up his back and stopped moving at the nape of his neck, finding the short ponytail he had which she gently tugged free. In doing so, she opened her eyes before setting the band to the side and watched his hair falling around his neck, just short of his shoulders. Regarding him quietly, she informed him in addition to her previous thoughts, "And you're handsome with your hair free."

He smirked a little over the comment, asking, "Do you like it better that way?"

"I don't really like either better," she commented, combing his hair with her hand, "But it is nice to run my fingers through it."

Listening to her words, he released her opposite hand from his grasp and reached up to push her own hair to the side and back across her head as it'd pooled out behind her against the pillows, then drew his fingers down against her face, slowly brushing his thumb across her lips. Zelda closed her eyes and let the soft tiers part beneath his touch, wondering why it felt so good, reaching her other hand to his arm in order to trace her fingers along his skin, learn more of how he was shaped.

Link took in a deep breath over the timid touch, pushing himself back just a slight bit so he was settled to her side. Looking down at her, he let his hand move from her mouth, across her throat and the amulet she wore, somehow finding the necklace settled above her bared breasts to be quite lovely, but he ignored it for the moment and let his hand slip lower, over her breast. She took in her breath when he did, felt him cupping the mound gently in his warm palm, and she opened her eyes in time to see him leaning down to brush his tongue over her nipple.

"Link!," she gasped out softly, rubbing both of his shoulders with her fingers without realizing she was doing it. Her breath caught again before he moved to the opposite breast and gave it the same attention, and as his lips worked, that sensation between her thighs of throbbing and heat starting to encompass her like it had the first time he'd touched her in this manner.

"Link, should I," she began opening her eyes when he lifted his head, the thoughts of how she was feeling from his touches making her curious, "take off my skirt now?"

He seemed slow to consider it, finally lifting his head from her breasts, each nipple completely hard and pink from his attentions, and he shook his head no slowly. Then he sat back and reached for the tie of the waistband himself. She watched everything intently, caught in a stupor she couldn't escape from while the strings were being tugged loose. When they were, the garment loosened in turn from her waist, and she watched everything all the way to how he lifted her hips and pulled the clothing down slowly.

She took in her breath when he removed the garment from her completely, had absolutely nothing on once it was gone except for the chain around her belly which she didn't think about in that moment, and the amulet around her neck, also slipping her mind. The only sound was that of her shaky breathing while she laid still, letting him look her over, and he noticed she was breathing much more heavily than usual because of the pant he could hear. Leaning up after taking in her long slender body completely nude on his bed now, a sight he had to take in before he could move because of the effect it was having on him, he looked at her face and asked her, "Nervous?"

"Yes," she nodded, opening her eyes to finally look at his face again, adding, "but I definitely haven't changed my mind."

Link found some amusement in her words of bravery, giving her a gentle smile over them before he kissed her briefly. When he pulled his lips back, she noticed he was taking his belt buckle into his hands in order to remove his pants. He wasn't trying to increase her nervousness, but he didn't want the grounds to be uneven either, and somehow she knew that as she watched him.

Link saw her reaching for his hands to stop him though, and when she did, he looked at her face, seeing her with a bitten lip as she sat forward slowly, the movement making him sit back in turn, and he let his hands fall to the side with her wishes of removing his pants for him. In doing so, she whispered out, "If it's our job to do this for one another, then let me."

With the words spoken, she pulled his belt loose, and then held her breath to try to steady herself before she continued. He watched her quietly, watched her pulling the buttons open, and felt the release against his stiff groin that had been confined for a short while now. As the buttons came undone, he sat back, letting her push them off with her back facing him for just a moment so she could disregard the item the way the rest of their clothing had been. He'd leaned on his elbows, watched her shyly turning back but keeping her eyes and face turned away from him. He knew exactly why. Reaching up, he put his hand on her shoulder, and Zelda tensed a bit.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to him as if the touch had asked her itself what was wrong, "I'm curious, but at the same time, just too nervous I suppose."

"It's alright," she heard, his voice against her ear as he spoke, reaching to pull her so that she would lay across the bed on her side next to him while he laid on his back against the pillows, and she looked over toward him. As her shoulder came into contact with the mattress beneath his arm, her hand resting on his chest, she pushed herself up onto her elbow to look down at his face, the amulet she wore hanging down from her throat above her breasts. A tress of her hair fell in front of her ear, and as he watched her, he added, "You're not alone."

The words surprised her. "Are you nervous too?"

"No," he shook his head with a small smile, "I'm anxious to have you, but I'm nervous about making it right for you. It's important to me."

She hadn't thought of it like that just yet, but she could see how it would be a problem of his own to contend with as her modesty and inexperience was for her. Slowly, she nodded her head, replying, "Then we can be open and honest so it will be better since we're both a little worried."

Nodding at her, he decided that was very true, so he told her a bit of that honesty now, "I also feel guilty for wanting to look at you as much as I do. But I haven't let it stop me."

She blushed, not that she hadn't been, and asked timidly, "You must like what you see. That's why you're aroused, right?"

Zelda had trouble looking him in the eye when she'd asked him that question, had seen that he was in fact erect even though she'd tried desperately not to, but she couldn't help a glimpse at his nude body when she'd initially removed his clothing. He looked...big. That was the only word she could use in that moment to consider it, wondering if her assessment was right or not, but she was still too timid despite her curiosities to look again and see.

"Yes," he replied to her question through her thoughts. "Can't help it." Adding that line, he sat up against the pillows a bit more and asked her to turn around.

"Why?" She whispered the question even though she did as he'd requested, turning around, laying her back against the pillows. He moved over toward her, rubbing his fingers down across the flat of her stomach, over the chain she wore, and he told her why.

"Because I want you to close your eyes and relax."

When he asked, she nodded and closed her eyes. His fingers against her skin was nice, very much so, and he drew them back and forth, across her breasts, then back down and toward her navel again. While he did, she became even more relaxed, and she was actually glad he'd asked her to do this. He didn't touch any sensitive spots, not yet, just seemed to be trying to soothe her, and it was working wonders. Her nerves began to melt away, her head filling with thoughts of who she was with, the fact that he loved her, and had always, even before he loved her, just wanted her to be safe and sound.

Those considerations in mind, she whispered with her eyes still closed, "I love you, Link."

Link watched her, watched his fingers against her skin as he moved them, could see the slight bumps raised up in reaction to his touch, gliding his fingers across those shivers slowly, and when he touched her side, she snickered and tensed up after she'd admitted she loved him. He grinned, knowing he'd hit a ticklish spot, then told her, "I love you too, sorry."

With an amused breath, she replied, "It's okay, I just wasn't expecting that."

Still smiling, he moved his hand away from the spot for the moment and toward her navel. As she'd began to relax enough to crack a smile with him, he knew she was probably feeling much better, and his gaze lowered, fingers slipping down to her thighs.

Zelda's smile slowly faded. The warmth of his palm ran up one thigh, and then the other. It brought back the warmth between her legs that hadn't really faded, but had seemed to become a bit idle in the meantime, and her heart picked up along with her breathing until his fingers pressed between them. One of her arms was beneath his side behind him, and she dug her nails into the bed covering when he slowly parted her thighs open. A throbbing formed between her legs just from that action alone that she couldn't help, also couldn't help risking a quick glance at his face, seeing where he was looking, and she closed her violet blues again tightly and let a soft whimper.

She was back to panting. Hearing this, Link drew his fingers up to her inner thigh and around the soft mound that had been hidden between her legs, and he lightly brushed his fingers across it. She remembered what he'd done to her before, and she wanted him to do that again, but at the same time, wasn't she just laying there? Before the thought could take its place in her head, his fingers pressed against her sensitive flesh between the slit of her sex, and she let a gasp in response. Any other thought fled her mind besides his warm skin touching hers and slowly beginning to rub it.

Link watched her carefully, giving her the same type of touch as he had before, and he asked, "Remember that?"

"Uh!," she sucked in her breath, "yes!." She whispered the word breathlessly before she pressed her hand against his back after having tugged on the bed sheet and fought to stay still instead of squirming against him like she wanted to.

"You liked it?"

"Yes!," she nodded, and in her fight not to squirm, she bowed up for him while his fingers circled her, made her throb harshly. She felt a gush of wetness between her thighs, and couldn't stop from moaning his name much more loudly than before, her inner muscles clenching in response to the slow, hot explorations of his fingers against her swollen bud.

The sight of her breasts lifting as her back arched and the sound of her moaning his name, as well as the feel of the wetness between her legs made him throb just as hard as she was. He made a groan in response, trying to keep himself calm for the moment and continue to bring her pleasure because she needed it more than he did right then. Just watching her react to him was making him as aroused as any touch she could have given him, and he wanted to see more of it.

But trying not to get her too far too soon, he let his fingers dip down, slowly pushing one of them inside of her, gently, and Zelda opened her eyes finally, somewhat widely, at what he was doing. It felt odd, but not in a bad way at all. He'd pushed it in and out of her slowly, able to feel the complete wetness there coupled with the heat, and it made him groan to think about what she might feel like to be inside of. The sound drew her eyes to his face, seeing that he'd been watching her, and she asked him, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing at all," he breathed out, "you're just so hot."

He was right, and she knew it was true, able to feel the heat between her thighs herself. She shuddered over the sensations as well, not just that, but also the sound of his voice, how it was breathy and deep. She loved how it felt to be this close to him, just wished she wasn't so embarrassed, so overwhelmed with the thought of what their intentions were. It almost seemed surreal in a way, that they were together now after all of the time they'd known one another, and with the notion in mind of how close they were becoming, and how much closer they were about to get, Zelda pushed her embarrassments to the side, trying to overcome it as she leaned up and turned her face against his throat to give in to the urge she had to touch him, running her lips smoothly along his skin, down to his shoulder, her fingers slipping down his abdomen.

Link could hear her heavy breathing next to his ear, his eyes closing in anticipation when her hand crept lower, past his navel, letting her have her own way without complaint or qualm. His index came to rest inside of her while he circled the button of her sex again with his thumb, and he felt her body drawing up once more, tensing against him as her own hand grasped his erection.

They'd both let moans that mingled in sound with one another, finding each other's mouths and joining them in a heated kiss that didn't last too long because Zelda jolted when his thumb changed the angle, a soft but sharp cry escaping her lips. She'd squeezed her palm against him and her head fell back, the arm around his back tightening with a deeply pleasured moan of his name.

She was completely soaked and swollen, and Link had to move so that he could stop her roaming fingers around his aroused member before he couldn't concentrate anymore and did things far too soon. Besides, he had something else in mind he wanted to show her, working his mouth down against her throat when her head fell back, considering how he wanted to see her come completely undone after everything that had happened, how he felt he owed her that much just for hurting her in the Temple, even if it hadn't been his own control. Things were starting to spiral out like crazy between them, and if he didn't do it now, he knew he wouldn't get a real chance to.

When she reached for him again after he'd pulled her hand from his stiff groin, he lifted his head and whispered, "Shush, stop love." The sound of his voice was completely husky while he stopped her a second time, and Zelda felt as if she might've been too drunk to hear him, but she did as he'd asked anyway.

He'd pulled his fingers from between her thighs, and Zelda let a little disappointed groan, aching from the lack of relief she felt, the need for more, but he was moving over her, and the sight of him as he placed his knees between her thighs, covering her completely, pushed the consideration from her head for the moment. She was too aroused at that point for the nervousness she'd felt before to really take hold of her again, but she couldn't stop herself from tensing her fingers against his back as she put her hands there.

"Are you going to–"

She was silenced with a slow kiss that caught her off guard, wrapped her arms around him tightly, and felt his body coming into complete contact with hers. When it did, she just couldn't think anymore. All she could do was feel, was let him move however he wanted to, and move along with him. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest she thought it might explode, making it hard to breathe, until he released her lips from his and whispered his words of response to her.

"Not yet," he started, moving down slowly, pressing his lips to her throat, then to her collar and against her chest. "I want to give you something else first, love."

Zelda heard the words even though she didn't understand them, except for in the back of her mind where her thoughts had been pushed, her eyes fixated on his face as he worked his way across her chest, his lips brushing across a nipple, making her fingers tense against his shoulder blades again. She was trembling beneath him, unable to stop herself from feeling the complete and total need for more, the urge to tell him how restless she was in that moment, expecting him to linger where he was and somehow it just wasn't enough.

But he moved lower, and the movement made her shift her hands to his shoulders as he kissed a path along her stomach and toward her navel. "Link," she breathed out urgently, though a bit uncertainly, "what are you doing?"

He didn't give her a reply, except to whisper for her to just relax and stay still, and she stared at him until his hand pushed her thigh open a bit wider, making her sit forward slightly with a shocked gasp while his lips brushed against the area below her navel. The sensation caused her to let a startled, short cry.

"Link!?"

She was throbbing harder than she ever had, sitting forward a bit despite his words of relaxing, and she tried to close her legs again but found that his mouth was against her inner thigh. Her fingers found his hair with one hand, the other gripping his opposite against her hip, and she panted harshly, her head falling back. Was this normally done!? It felt so good, but should it? With an overwhelmed whimper, she couldn't watch but at the same time couldn't look away, a million questions in her head and not a single breath in her chest able to breathe one out.

Link simply didn't _want_ to stop at that point. He was completely consumed with her reactions, how beautiful she sounded, how badly it was making him want her, and he let his lips lower to her sex slowly, the warmth of his mouth covering her smooth skin, wrenching the sweetest cry he'd ever heard from her lips, her fingers suddenly digging into his hair and squeezing his hand tightly.

"Stop!" She couldn't stand it anymore and he'd barely done anything, her back bowing up when she felt his tongue searching and rolling hotly against the over sensitive skin between her thighs. She'd never wanted anything so badly in her life, her words for him to cease his actions cried out of embarrassment over what he was doing more than the actual desire for him to stop. In reality, she really didn't know what she wanted, but she knew the word 'more' was floating around in her head somewhere.

"Please, I can't stand it!," she let another whimper after the hotly spoken words, but his tongue continued its hot motions between her thighs, slowly back and forth. When she began to squirm, he finally gave her a reprieve, lifting his mouth from her before he rubbed her hip soothingly. Looking up, watching her chest heaving with heavily shaken breaths, her eyes shut and face completely flushed, he knew it wouldn't be long before she came for him if he kept that up, found the release he wanted her to have, and he stopped mostly to draw the pleasure out for her a bit more so she wouldn't come so soon.

The truth was that he'd never done this before. He knew of it being done as he'd learned the ins and outs of men and women through his past relationship, understood that some people did this, and some didn't, but he felt completely comfortable giving this to Zelda. After all, if what he'd learned of it was true, and it would drive a woman completely crazy, then he knew it was definitely worth a try, and from her words alone, her reactions, he could tell it was doing exactly what he'd hoped it would.

"How does that feel?" He asked.

"I can't," she breathed out, still panting, "I can't stand it."

"Good?"

"Very," she whimpered, squeezing his hand still without realizing it. "Don't do it anymore."

Hearing that, he couldn't help but ask, "Why not?"

"It's too good," she replied swiftly on a shy voice, unable to look at him, especially not where he was settled so intimately close to her now between her thighs. Just the thought of what he'd been doing was driving her absolutely daft.

Hearing the phrase though drove him to continue on, especially since he wanted to see more of her reactions, hear more of her cries for him. His lips pressed against her again despite her words that it was too good, his tongue rolling slowly around her, and Zelda tensed up again and let another cry of his name, felt him grasping her hips to keep her from squirming or jolting too much.

"Link! Please!" She moaned loudly, taking both of her hands and pressing them to his head, felt it bobbing slowly between her thighs, and the feeling alone against her hands made her arch her back as hard as she had yet. She knew she was going to come again like she had before when he'd touched her in his chamber near River Town, knew she couldn't handle this for long, couldn't even find the words to beg him to take her like she was desperately beginning to want. Her breasts ached for his touch, her body was screaming at her to have him, and all she could do was feel the warmth of his wet muscle rolling around the most sensitive part of her body with a hotness that she thought should have burned her.

But she heard those pleading words anyway, as if she hadn't even said them, begging for him to just take her with a heated intensity before she felt her climax exploding inside of her, consuming her entirely.

Her words hadn't gone unnoticed by him at all, and he was completely satisfied with the results of his endeavors, able to make her so hot and excited that she begged him for what they were inevitably going to do without knowing exactly what she was asking him for. He didn't cease his actions while she came for him however, waited until her hips stopped jolting before he stopped, and as she let her cries of pleasure, he didn't feel any need this time to find a way to shush her because they were completely alone. It was definitely a freeing feeling to know they now had so much privacy and could be as loud as they really wanted to be.

With that thought in mind and her muscles going a bit limb beneath him, he lifted his head and moved back over her. He was a bit surprised though, having expected she would probably be too weak to move for a few moments, but she reached for him urgently, pressing her face against his throat and drawing his body to hers as tightly as she could.

"Please don't ever do that again," she whimpered out between kisses against his collar, unable to help herself. "Okay? Just don't."

"Why not?" He asked her curiously through his own need as he felt his aching erection pressing against her lower stomach, his chest heaving with his arousal.

"It's maddening," she whispered, tears in her eyes over how good this all felt. Hearing the sniffle on her voice, he turned his face and pressed his lips to her temple, pushing one arm beneath her back and settling himself on it above her. She was thoroughly overwhelmed, shaking, and he needed her, but wanted to make sure everything was as it should be before he simply dove in.

"You didn't like it?"

"No," she shook her head, adding on a shy whisper, "I loved it."

She remembered he'd said something similar to her the first time they'd become intimate together, and she finally risked a glance up to his face, seeing the expression he had that said he was both glad as well as in his own need, and she wondered where to go next.

"I still want you," she told him with redness painted on her cheeks before she could even consider what she needed to say or do, felt him shifting against her lower stomach, and she curiously asked him, "don't you want–"

"Yes," he nodded , saying the word on a breathy tone, knowing what she was going to ask. "I just don't want to move without knowing you're ready for it."

"More than ready," she replied, finding the gumption to lean up and kiss him. It was a kiss he met her halfway for, deep and filled with all of the emotion they'd both been going through, and in doing so, she felt the hardness pressed against her skin shifting, felt his hand slipping beneath her inner thigh and drawing her leg higher up around his hip. Her grip against his back tightened in anticipation while she concentrated on the kiss instead of what might've been about to come. She was unable to think straight at all, and she couldn't help wondering if she was simply dreaming it all.

Were they really here now? Was it even possible to love him so much? She wasn't sure, but when she felt his most private of areas rubbing down against hers, she tensed with instinct alone and broke her lips from his, heard him letting a soothing shush against her ear as he began to push slowly, penetrating her with a still shallow depth, just before he groaned lowly. Tears had filled her eyes again and she whimpered out to him how much she loved and needed him.

"So hot," she heard, "love you so much," and she wondered if he even realized he'd said it. Glancing up to his face, she saw that his were closed for the moment as he pushed deeper, began to stretch her open. Zelda's brows narrowed slightly in response to the movement, her own eyes shutting, a frown on her face that was from concentration alone. His hold was tight on her, trying to keep her still for the moment so she wouldn't pull him in too quickly. The further she felt him surging inside of her, the more painful it got, until she suddenly let a shocked cry and he felt her nails digging into his back.

He cringed over the slight scratches, though it definitely wasn't a pain he couldn't handle, feeling as if he deserved it anyway for how he just hurt her. But he was unable to consider anything else with her intense heat surrounding him, and it took all of his effort just to keep himself still for the time being while she adjusted to him. So he looked down at her, saw her trembling and the tears streaming down her cheeks. He already knew he would hurt her, didn't want to talk about that before it happened though, because he didn't want her to expect it, and he leaned over her, whispering against her ear with a breathless effort to soothe her.

"I'm sorry, love, I know it hurts. I'm not ever going to do that again though."

The words as calming and gentle as he could muster made her feel like crying even more. The sharp pain she'd felt hadn't lasted very long, but it was enough to break through the haze of passion that had built up inside of her and make her cry without meaning to. But even now it was slowly becoming replaced with a dull ache. Somehow though, none of it mattered. She was so happy in that moment that he just cared enough to tell her he already knew what he'd done to her, and to let her know that he wasn't going to do it again, that she was content with everything, but found herself curious over others.

"Will it...hurt every time?"

"No," he drew out on a heated breath, trying his best to ignore the wet heat gloving him like a second skin, to resist the urge to move inside of her until she was ready for it. "No, it will get much better."

He sounded strained, and she looked up to his face, seeing a bit of sweat on his brow, his eyes shut tightly as if he were hurting too. That's when she realized she'd been scratching his back, and she gasped and grabbed his shoulders, "I'm sorry!"

The suddenly gasped apology made him look down at her in curiosity, and he asked, "For what?"

"For scratching you."

Realizing what she meant, he let out a deep breath, then he shook his head, "It doesn't hurt."

"But you look like you're in pain," she whispered.

"I'm not," he groaned out, his chest heaving with the need to move, and he couldn't resist it anymore, drawing himself slowly out of her before pushing back inside again. Zelda watched him doing this, her eyes getting a little bit wider, the feel of him filling her up a second time different than the first without the sharp pain, just the dull ache of stretching her. But watching him was making her blind to it.

"Then...?" She heard herself asking. "What's wrong?"

The slip of his throbbing skin inside of her made him let a groan that sounded, to her ears, completely erotic, and her eyes were glued to his face as he did so. In response, he told her, "Nothing, I'm...it's hot."

Zelda suddenly realized what he meant. He was in just as much pleasure as she had been earlier, and he was forcing himself to stay still for her benefit, or to just move slowly. If his face was one of pleasure, as he moved his hips a third time, then she couldn't imagine just how good this felt for him, the expression completely intense, his breath panted out. Through his movements, he asked, "Does that hurt?"

Zelda was completely enthralled watching him to the point that she said, despite any pain she'd felt, "No, don't stop, I want to see...let me see you."

She had to see his reactions, had to see how much he wanted this, liked it, no matter how much it hurt her. He'd held himself back enough with his concerns over her own welfare, and she wanted him to have something, needed him to. When he pushed inside of her again with a louder groan, she pressed her hand to his cheek, her fingers brushing his lips, and she couldn't help but whisper out his name as he moved.

Why was it so hot to see his responses and enjoyment over how she felt? She had no idea, but she never wanted it to stop, never wanted him to feel any other way than how he might have now, and she drew her legs up higher with another shift into her, letting him go deeper. The pain had started to fade away almost completely, but when she moved her legs, he hit a spot within her that made her tense up, her muscles clamping down around him tightly in response with a sharp gasp from her lips.

When he felt it that, he suddenly stopped moving and opened his eyes finally, giving her a concerned expression.

"Zelda? Did I–"

"No, don't stop," she shook her head at him. She knew he thought he'd hurt her, and looking up at him, Zelda added the words, "please? It was nice."

The look on her face was one of slight surprise, one that said she wasn't lying, brows narrowed and lips parted while her muscles tensed around him. Hearing her words that it didn't hurt, believing her, Link pushed further inside of her again from where he'd stopped himself, with her legs drawn up higher around his hips. The movement got another soft whimper from her. Maybe the ache was going away, and he hoped so, because he wanted her to feel pleasure the way he was feeling it now, and nothing but that.

Zelda opened her eyes to see him looking down at her, and she kept her hands where they were against his throat, beginning to slowly realize there was a feeling blooming inside of her body each time he moved that she hadn't been able to imagine before. Even though she was shy over the act they were performing, she couldn't tear her gaze away from his, only closing her eyes for a moment as the sensations intensified before opening them again.

"Link," she gasped out, and she wasn't exactly sure why, but she asked him, "go faster."

He thought he was about to bust and go completely wild already because of the intense heat his movements were causing, and hearing those words proved she wasn't feeling much pain at all, and whatever pain she did feel was probably becoming less and less noticeable because of the pleasure he was bringing about in her in her finally. She was so tight, so wet and hot, and her words snapped that switch that made him give into his urges of wanting to rock his hips faster even as he asked about her comfort.

"Doesn't hurt?"

"No," she leaned up and kissed him desperately, slipping her hands up his back, "not anymore. Please, faster."

He kissed her again once she'd spoken, and lifted one of his knees a bit, driving himself forward. Zelda rocked her hips up instinctively to meet him. Despite her shyness, she was, in fact, curious about the movements, the whole affair in itself, and wanted to learn more if only to please him. When she lifted her hips, he groaned into her mouth and continued rocking his own much more steadily. His groan was responded to with a whimper from her mouth into his, and they both forgot every other concern in the world, in his loft where no one could hear or see them, completely alone with one another where nothing else existed.

It may have been some kind of odd fate that she'd wound up in his actual bed for her first time, but she couldn't think about that in those moments. All she could think of was what they were doing, the fact that he was inside her, connected to her as deeply as he'd ever be, and she to him, making her feel better than she ever had before. Any pain she'd felt was so harshly overwritten by the pleasure that was consuming her now that she wasn't even sure there had been any pain to begin with.

If her lips weren't busy kissing him and telling him how much she loved him without words, she would have begged him never to stop this, begged him to forget everything and let them stay there for the rest of their lives. Had it been possible to love him more than she previously had? An hour ago she probably would have said no, but now she knew she would have been wrong.

Maybe it was simply physical on that level, the amount of pleasure she felt giving her those sensations of love and caring, but she couldn't get enough of it nonetheless, unable to keep up with the kiss any longer. Breaking it and letting a much louder cry than before as they rocked against one another, she felt Link's mouth rest against her ear, emitting the hottest sounds she'd ever heard, moaning her name to her, and she tightened her grip around his back.

"I...love you...so much..."

She wasn't even sure if she'd said it or he had, she was so lost to the sensations, and Link, who had made the declaration, couldn't hold anything back any longer, the bed rocking in protest to their movements as he drove faster inside of her, pumping with a movement that created a slapping sound between her thighs, her legs raised him and behind his back as high as she could get them, and she tensed again and suddenly jolted.

He was sweating, trying to hold onto his control, keep himself from finding release until she had, sweat beading on his brow. Zelda was apparently there however, he could feel it rising up in her as she clung to him tightly, muscles clamping around him, and he murmured breathlessly, "That's it, come for me, love."

"Y-you...too...," she pleaded, "p-please Link, please?"

He didn't want to, didn't want to risk her becoming pregnant, but her words were almost too much to handle. He grunted with the effort of holding off, shaking his head. "Not in you."

Zelda couldn't hold her own release back anymore, tugging on his shoulders, and her orgasm made her words sound much more desperate than they normally would have, "_Please Link! Ahhh!_"

Link completely lost his control. His arms crushed her solidly against his body as he felt his release overtaking him, her name moaned loudly with several rough pants, his name called back to him, and he found her lips and sealed them with his own hotly, holding her as tightly as he could while he spilled himself inside of her, and somehow felt as if it still weren't close enough until he could absorb her into himself. His possessiveness rose up, and even if their lives depended on it, he knew he wouldn't have been able to let go of her. She was convulsing around him and making muffled cries into his mouth, the kiss wet and full of the pleasure they were both experiencing, and he knew he would never, ever feel as complete as he did in that moment with her beneath him, coming for him as he did for her.

Her body finally went limp beneath him after several long moments, just before his did over hers. The kiss broke in that moment due to the need for a slight reprieve, and Link pressed his face against her throat, his warm breath washing over her skin, his weight baring down on her. Zelda didn't mind the weight at all, even tried to pull him closer to herself as she lay there and wound her arms around him tightly. She was sobbing and she couldn't help it.

He only realized it a few moments after he'd become still over her, and he lifted his head when he heard it. His nose brushed hers as he turned his head to see her face, asking, "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"Nothing," she replied on a shaky, broken voice, holding him tightly still and adding, "I didn't think I could...love you anymore than...I do."

His eyes shut when he heard the words, leaning down to kiss her cheek, then up to kiss her brow, stopping when she spoke again in question that sounded almost needy, as if she might have wanted to tell him instead of ask him. "We can stay here for tonight, right?"

Looking into her eyes with the dim flickering of the candles around them, he nodded his head, knowing why she'd asked that. She was worried about having to go, and wanted to be here as long as possible, before they had to finish what they'd started. Deciding to make it more concrete for her instead of just a shallow want on both their parts, Link said, "I just hurt you and I don't want you to ride until morning."

Looking his face over, she nodded slowly, biting down on her bottom lip. Before he could ask what her look was about, she told him, "I don't want to leave the bed at all until then."

"Then we'll stay right here," he kissed her brow promisingly, "until morning."

With a nod, she turned her face to rest against his throat, felt him shifting to push himself over onto his back, drawing her with him, still joined. He didn't want to crush her though, gripped and pulled the covers up around them both to keep their warmth where it should be.

"Link," he heard whispered out softly.

"What?"

She didn't know what to say. There were so many things going through her mind, and all of it felt important to ask him about, talk to him over. Breathing out a shuddered breath, she decided on one of them and just went from there. "Was it...good?"

Link was watching the top of her head as she had it settled beneath his chin, and he told her in honesty, "Much better."

Her eyes opened, and she asked, "Than before?"

"Very much so."

"Because it was me?"

"Yes," he replied softly, kissing the top of her head. "Because I love you so much." It really had made all of the difference, he considered. With the thought in his head, stroking her back slowly, he asked in turn, "For you?"

Zelda's eyes closed, and she felt a bit of grogginess overtaking her. Laying there, his fingers stroking her back so soothingly, she whispered, "I never knew anything was so wonderful."

He was immensely glad for that, and not simply on a level of male pride that all men wanted to be able to have and possess. He was glad because he knew her first time would have pain involved in it, and he didn't want her to hurt for too long. From what he'd learned, it differed between women, so he was grateful Zelda hadn't complained for very long.

It _did_ feed his ego too however.

Her next question brought him out of his thoughts though, "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

She started blushing again even after how close they were connected, still able to feel him resting inside of her. "You know," she whispered shyly, "kissing me...there."

Link was unable to help a smile over the shyness considering their intimacy in that moment, thought it was extremely cute, and he told her in response, "I heard women like it. I wanted to see if you would."

"But," she finally risked a look at him, and when her eyes met his, she realized she just couldn't hold his gaze with what they were talking about, turning her head back down with a soft, "nevermind."

Still smiling over her demeanor, he kissed the top of her head, feeling groggy himself. Slowly, he told her, "Stay still," and he shifted his hips. Zelda remained still as he dislodged himself from between her thighs, and she felt an ache returning there, telling him so.

"It is a little sore now. I guess you were right." Settling back against him, it was then that she'd looked down at the sheet covering the mattress, and he heard her gasp.

"What's wrong?"

Zelda suddenly remembered what she knew, that girls bled their first time, and the stains of blood on the sheet weren't too big, but had just caught her off guard. Relaxing against him, she breathed out, "Nothing. Just, well..."

He looked over and saw the bloodstain, then pursed his lips a bit. Leaning his head to the side, she looked up at him and let him kiss her brow, whispering, "I'm sorry," before he kissed her lips.

Was he always going to be so sweet? She wasn't complaining at all, but every time he did something like that, her heart swelled with how much she cared for him, and she returned the kiss lovingly. Once it broke, she whispered, "It's alright, Link. It's what I wanted."

"Me too," he admitted, "not to hurt you though. If you want, there's water left. You can clean up."

Nodding slowly, Zelda looked back at him and asked, "Will you come with me?"

He wouldn't deny her that, nodding his head, and he moved to stand up with her. Adjourning to the wash room, and they warmed the water over the wood stove while chatting quietly amongst themselves, not about anything particularly important, just about the Gerudo, about their lives, things they'd done during their separation as Nabooru had, in fact, told Zelda a few stories. They cleaned up and wrapped themselves in blankets, eating the fruit Gepsa had given them, and Link finally informed Zelda, because of his search for her earlier in the evening, that she was never to go traveling with anyone again.

It made her grin to hear it, and she apologized for making him worry with a kiss, then a curiously asked question that made him shush her because one, the thought of her lips on him would have made him hard in an instant, and two, she would be too sore to take again that evening without more pain involved.

No matter what they spoke of however, they did exactly as he'd said they would, and didn't leave his loft until morning, falling into a sound sleep together that was well rested indeed.


	62. Sooner or Later

_Chapter 61 - Sooner or Later_

_Zelda..._

_The time is now._

_Zelda! Help!_

The dream was much more vivid this time. So vivid in fact that she could see their faces, and in her heart of hearts, she knew it was the actual faces of her parents she looked upon. Both were held within a sphere shaped barrier, not a new element to her dream, but with the knowledge they were still alive, she knew that was reality.

_Zelda, stop him...!_

His laughter was heard in her mind, a new element of the dream she hadn't seen yet, the threatening, imposing shadow of the King of Evil standing overhead, threatening both of their lives.

_Zelda!_

She woke up, gasping the word, "Mother!," loudly, the jolting movement as she sat forward causing Link to open his eyes and react immediately. He grabbed her as if he thought someone was in the room about to hurt her, or the both of them, and pulled her back protectively.

His movement startled a little yelp out of her, and when Link realized they were alone and there wasn't some kind of monster about to do them both in standing at the foot of the bed, he groaned softly and relaxed, having a slightly sheepish feeling, one Zelda shared, watching him sit up behind her completely and ask her in a still groggy state of being, "Dream?"

She nodded, her eyes closing before she pressed her forehead to his, her hand settling on his upper arm. "It was much more vivid this time. Link, we have to go."

It was still night outside, or very early dawn at least, the first rays of sunlight only just beginning to peek over the horizon. They'd both slept through the night, and were well rested, but Link opened his eyes as she spoke, asking her curiously nevertheless, "Right now?"

She let a sigh of breath, let him pull her in closely, reluctant to leave the bed with him, but also feeling somehow drawn to. With a slow nod, Zelda replied, "Soon. I don't think I'll be able to sleep again after that dream. He was there."

He got the feeling that was probably true if the way she'd awoken was any indication, but the words added that _he was there_ got Link's attention and he turned a narrowed brow down at her. Considering where they were, the state the both of them were in, Link didn't want to mention who he knew she was talking about, so instead, he just held her when she hugged him and pushed the thought from his head for the moment.

Because of what they'd done together the evening before, Link had slept very well, and knew she had also up until she'd started dreaming. So he was rested enough to leave if she really wanted to, but like her, was reluctant for the moment to get out of the bed when he had her there with him. They'd decided to stay until morning and get their rest, but now that morning had come, it didn't make it any easier to do as they had planned, especially when she felt so warm on the cold desert morning.

Zelda put her arms around his back and tilted her head to kiss him, letting him draw her in closer until they were touching completely again, a sheet settled over their legs and nothing more, his chest flattening against hers. She let a soft moan in response to the touch and the worrying thoughts of the dream began to slip from her mind, making her tensed muscles relax against him. Slowly, he turned his head and kissed a line along her cheek when she did, asking against her ear in a manner that made her almost completely dizzy, "Does that make you feel better at least?"

With a shuddered breath and a slow nod, she replied after opening her eyes while she rested against him so comfortably, safe and secure right where she was. Even though the events of the dream still beckoned to her, she didn't feel any dire urgencies or anxious worries anymore. "Yes," she whispered in response. She wondered for a moment if it was wrong of her to be so comfortable, but she just couldn't be any other way right then. They would leave soon enough now, and it was in that moment that a thought that suddenly struck her.

Looking up, Link saw the sudden consideration in her eyes and asked, "What?"

"I don't have anything to wear. I mean the Gerudo's clothing is a bit too cold farther up north, and a bit too scant for my tastes anyway."

She was right, her dress had been destroyed, and it was probably the only one she'd brought with her into the desert since not much was truly needed. In thinking it over, he remembered something specific and looked at her face, "Your gown."

She'd just remembered the item packed away neatly with their horses, and she considered it for a moment. While normally she might have thought it to be to much considering she wouldn't be the actual Princess until a coronation could be performed, and the garment was definitely fit for a royal, somehow it seemed almost poetic to ride to Hyrule in an outfit that she would have worn had she been the Princess her entire lifetime, and she smiled.

"You don't think it's a little too dressy, do you? I mean, with the fighting we'll end up doing."

Link smirked, shaking his head, "Not for you. Besides, I'll be fighting, you'll be backing me up."

Smiling up at him, she leaned up to kiss him once more before she whispered, "Then I'll wear that."

"Good, because I'd like to see it on you completed," he informed her truthfully.

Still smiling, she admitted, "I almost don't want to get out of bed though. But you'll have to get it for me since it's with our horses."

"Neither do I," Link replied, but then he opened his eyes and looked down at her, saying on a promising tone, "But there _will_ be later."

She appreciated the promising words, and though they did make her heart flutter a bit, she amended for him, "I hope it's sooner rather than later," and they shared one more kiss, long and slow, making sure it was thorough and lasted before they forced themselves to get up.

Moving to try to get some pants and his boots on, Link could help but chuckle when, with the sheet wrapped around her, Zelda kept trying to steal kisses from him in order to slow his progress down a bit. But he got outside finally, grinning back at her playfully when she hurried him now instead because she had no clothing and he was going so slowly when it really was cold outside, which made her smack his arm.

"Would you go!?," she asked him, trying not to smile and encourage him because she actually did think it was funny, not to mention she didn't really have much room to talk.

Link was chuckling while he climbed down the latter, finally giving in to her wishes and moving a bit more quickly, having her things sent up the pulley a few moments later. Zelda grabbed them from the balcony, thankful that it was still the very early light of dawn so it would be harder to see her perched on Link's loft in naught but a bed sheet, taking the items inside and to his wash room so that she could get them on properly.

While she did, Link came back up and dressed himself as well, making sure his recently cleaned chainmail was fitting him correctly before he tugged on his green jerkin and looked at himself in the mirror. Pursing his lips slightly, he looked at the tear in the left side of the shirt where he'd been impaled, as well as the breaks in the chainmail beneath it. Guessing it would have to do, he pulled his hair back and then settled his windsock on his head just as the door to his wash room opened.

The sun had come up a bit higher in the sky, and with the window shudder up, the light filtered into the room easily. Link watched Zelda stepping out in the gown that Bessa had sewn for her with Jada's help. He was unable to help staring just as the first time he'd seen her in it when the garment hadn't been fully completed. Golden pauldrons graced her shoulders, the bodice a light pink color that wrapped down low around the back of the white gown. On each arm she wore gloves with ornate patterns across the back, flowing all the way up them both. The circlet on her head framed her face perfectly, as if she'd been born to wear one, and the amulet she'd always worn around her neck was the reminder that this was still the same woman he'd known all of his life.

There was a mantle of light blue that hung in front of her gown with patterns across it of knots in different shapes, along with trees in the corners and in the center sat the symbol of the Triforce. Link hadn't seen that mantle before, but seeing it now, he thought it seemed completely fitting.

She looked every bit the Princess she actually was, coronation or not.

She smiled as she stepped over to him, saying on the way, "I feel kind of silly wearing this gown with these boots on under it, but I'm not riding through Hyrule Field, if that's where we're heading, in a pair of slippers."

He snickered softly over the thought, agreeing with her. If they ended up on foot, the boots would serve her much better. But he didn't comment on it outside of the nod and snicker he'd had, watching her heading toward him. She'd noticed the tear in his shirt, and as she stopped, she lifted her hand up to cover it, a soft light flooding from beneath her palm with a high pitched ringing of sound that was soft in volume. When she pulled her hand away and the glow faded, the tear was gone. Seeing his newly mended clothing, he lifted a brow at her in curiosity.

Zelda gave him a silent shrug and a little lopsided smile, and the expression caused him to grin. In seeing it, seeing that he had his clothing in place and what she considered had become his iconic hat on his head, she asked, "So, are you ready to depart, sir?"

Link looked around his room quietly with a smile over the way she'd addressed him, making sure that he was in fact ready to go, and then he glanced at the gauntlets he'd strapped on his hands before he told her, "Almost."

Zelda glanced over when he turned, seeing his shield and sword settled in the corner, glinting because of the cleaning he'd given them both the day beforehand, and he grabbed them, pulling the straps across his chest to be fastened. Zelda couldn't stop herself from smiling, considering the hero he actually was, legend or no, and she watched him adjusting the strap and settling the gear onto his back before he looked over at her.

"Now I am."

Still smiling, she stepped toward him and took his arm to be properly escorted outside. Once they were down the ladder, Zelda asked, "Where is the Myriad Stone located?"

"Close to the gateway of the valley," he explained, "against the rock walls."

That was why they didn't see it coming in, Zelda figured, because it would have been behind them while they were looking forward, and she nodded as she untied Frost from where he'd been tethered, pulling him around gently before rubbing his nose. "Do you want to say goodbye to Nabooru?"

Link nodded, "We'll pass by on the way there," he informed her as he pulled Epona around and headed up toward her, walking his horse. She was giving him a thoughtful expression as he stopped, and Link asked, "What's wrong?"

"Well, we never told her about Ganondorf."

That was very true. Link breathed slowly, shaking his head, "I know, but I may end up killing him. Ignorance is bliss, and I honestly think she doesn't need to know."

"Are you sure about that?" Zelda asked. "I mean, I think you're right, but you'll know the truth while she doesn't."

"Well, if I tell her, and she realizes what her son has been raised into, the amount of mercilessness in him, how he has killed so many innocent people, it will just hurt her, and I can't stand to see that."

Zelda nodded thoughtfully over the words as they began walking, telling Link, "You're right, that would definitely be hard on her. I suppose from a certain point of view that it's true then." With a sad sigh, she finished, "Her son really is dead. We can tell her that Dragmire killed him. After all, she doesn't know the name Dragmire, does she?"

Link considered that, and he shook his head, "I'm not certain, but we can ask. If she does, we can tell her he killed her son, because I think you're right. It's still the truth, and it will be much easier on her than telling her what her son has actually become."

Nabooru wouldn't know that Dragmire and Druno were the same person, so the two Hylians decided to give her the information. When asked, Nabooru explained that she didn't know who Dragmire was outside of some powerful wizard in the kingdom, and Link explained everything from there. As the tale was finished, Nabooru seemed a bit dejected, but she told Link and Zelda to go and stop the king from the evil he was spreading that had been born with the man who'd claimed the life of her child.

Link and Zelda left Nabooru's home with mixed feelings, looking back steadily every now and again while they walked in the light of the rising sun, saying goodbye to a few Gerudo who'd just woken up and come outside along the way. Heading to find the Myriad Stone, Link had to shake his head over it, somehow finding the that he still didn't feel completely right about what he'd explained to Nabooru. As he thought, he found Zelda taking his hand, knowing that she understood how he felt. But they needed to push on, and with his hand in hers, they continued walking.

Seeing the Myriad Stone finally, settled against the wall like Link had said it would be, they made their way over with their horses just behind them. Link came to a stop and allowed Zelda to place her gloved hand on the softly glowing stone, and once she'd established the connection, she started by saying, "Myriad, we've freed the essence of Spirit, and thus all of the Sage Powers are released. We need your guidance now on our next step."

"Zelda," replied the Sage, "it has been a while. I'm glad to hear you are unharmed, and that the essences are now in place where they belong once again. Link, are you both well?"

"We're fine, Mot-," he stopped himself, then said, "Myriad." After all, no one could know yet, and there could have been anyone overhearing their talk standing nearby. "We're just ready to be done with this war."

"Good, for I would have wished the two of you to rest if you were not yet ready. I have convened with Lyonel recently, and he says all is fairing well and the revolt is ready to move to arms to aide their true Princess. Their reports say that minions have gathered in the Palace, so entry will not be easy."

Link sighed a breath out over the news, somehow having gotten the feeling this would have been the case. With a slowly shaken head, he spoke, "Ganondorf will allow us entry though, won't he? After all, we have what he wants."

"Things would be this simple if Ganondorf did not fear you, Link, and that is the one truth he cannot hide from. You are the weight it will take to tip the scales, and because of this, he will try to do everything within his power, from abducting Zelda, to threatening the ones you love, in order to keep you contained. You have grown to be a powerful threat, do not forget this while you traverse his stronghold."

Link took in a breath with a nod of his head, replying, "I'll try not to. But he can take Zelda easily just by threatening her parents in front of her."

"This is true, and for this reason alone, I wish to advise my lady to stay behind."

Zelda narrowed her brows over the words and looked at the stone, shaking her head, "I can't stay behind. I..."

She trailed off as the more she thought about it, the more she knew that Myriad was right. Link would falter more easily if Zelda was with him. She'd been so accustomed to traveling by his side though that she'd automatically assumed she would enter the Palace with him as she had all of the Temples. Even still, a stone of dejection settled itself in her chest, for she wished to be able to defend her loved ones and all that she cared for by his side.

As she had these thoughts, she felt his hand on her arm, and she looked over at him.

"She's right, Zelda. I can't let you or the Triforce fall into his hands. He still doesn't know you're aware that your parents are alive."

Zelda, though reluctant, made a slow nod at him, taking in her breath. It was then that Myriad spoke in turn, "Do not fear for him, my Princess. This is what he is fated to do, and your fate will lay on a different path, but toward the same destination."

"I understand," Zelda replied, "it is the wisest choice. So, in light of this, how do we proceed?"

Myriad, not wishing to waste time, spoke without hesitation, "Lyonel showed you the teleportation stone, didn't he?"

"He did," she replied.

"Use it. There are only three stones left, and the final is located in a grove of trees in the hillsides to the northeast of Hyrule Field, near the Zora River. This will be a much safer route when making your way into the Palace, Link. As for the Princess, you should deliver her safely to the revolt. She will lead them from there."

Keeping the information in his mind, Link looked at Zelda when she said, "Consider it done." With that spoken, he looked at Zelda, watching her give him a small smile, before he glanced back to the stone and ask his mother, "Then this is the final step, isn't it?"

"No, actually. There is one more that bares a significant importance." Myriad started. "You must listen carefully. Zelda, you are the seventh sage, and with the essences released, you may now call among greater power than you'd previously been able to. I'm sure you've felt it within you since you left the last Temple."

Nodding, Zelda replied, "I have, just like with the other two. Much more powerful this time however, and much more balanced than before."

"Good," Myriad told her, "Then it is now that you must use your position as the Seventh Sage, as only you can invoke..."

Myriad's voice began to waver, and the sudden sound made Zelda snap her face toward Link, who looked just as confused over the sound as she did. But Myriad continued to speak, saying the words, "...spirits...light guardians..."

"Myriad?" Zelda asked, and she looked at the stone as Link did. "Myriad, we can barely hear you. You're," she shook her head, "breaking off from us."

After she spoke the words, they waited to see if they could get an answer. "Link, what is..."

"I don't know, Zelda," he replied, and while they watched, without any warning at all, the stone began to turn black beneath Zelda's fingertips. Zelda took in her breath with a soft gasp, pulling her hand away from the once white stone. They both had the same thought as the sight hit their eyes - this had to be dark magic preventing Myriad's voice from coming through to them. Someone was preventing her from telling them something important.

Zelda was the first to speak it though, "It's him."

Link nodded, "I know."

"No, that's not what I mean," she shook her head, and the urgent sound of her voice snapped his face in her direction, seeing her standing there trembling, "I can hear him," she got out softly, "in my head."

She had to close her eyes. There was a laughter in her mind, one that was malicious in nature. Link reacted quickly by grabbing her with a concerned expression upon his face, but that laughter continued despite anything Link could have done for her in that moment.

Far away from Link and Zelda, upon the Myriad Stone that stood in the courtyard of Hyrule, Ganondorf smirked down at his hand covering the object, emanating the same dark power down into the stone that his father would have used, shutting off Myriad's voice from them completely so that they, as the rest of Hyrule, would be lost in the dark.

_So, you're the seventh sage as well as a Princess._

Zelda had her hand on her temple, hearing that voice playing through her mind. She had no choice but to listen as he continued to speak to her.

_Sage, Princess, and possessor of the Triforce of Wisdom all in one. You're like a gift from the Goddesses themselves. I was right not to worry about the releasing of the Sage Powers, for now you will simply bring them back to me, along with your part of the Triforce. All that will be left is the Triforce of Courage that whelp you're traveling with has._

The words made Zelda angry, but she wisely chose not to respond to him in that manner, and instead, she simply told him the truth.

_When he does bring that Triforce half to you, you'll be sorry he did._

The laughter rang out in her mind once again, the sound somehow degrading, as if laughing at her to say that her words weighed absolutely nothing.

Link narrowed his brows angrily as he watched her trembling, saw the look on her face, determined and at the same time uncertain. She'd taken his hand and squeezed it tightly, and he held onto her firmly. He felt literally helpless to stop this, telling Zelda, "Block it out, can you do that?"

"Yes, but...," she cringed, turning her face to the side, "it's hard to do with the power he possesses."

When she spoke this, Ganondorf continued speaking, informing her of something she did not wish to hear.

_Hm hm hm, so you would think. But not with the leash I have around your neck, and with Myriad unable to assist you further now, you have this one choice._

The conversation continued on, and Zelda suddenly gasped over something she'd been told. She heard Link saying her name again, and she sternly remained still until the telepathic link finally broke. But it somehow seemed to last forever.

_You will come to me, my lady, alone, without alerting your Hero to the situation. You have two hours to arrive at my doorstep, or your parents have two hours to live. Link must have told you about them, deep in slumber, just as my father left them. Completely helpless to whatever fate I deem fit to bestow upon them. As I told Link, I will have what I am after sooner or later. Bring the Triforce of Wisdom to me, and I shall let them live. Remember, the clock is ticking. You have two hours._

Finally, the link between herself and the King of Evil broke, and Zelda's muscles relaxed, slumping against Link with the effort she'd been trying to make to block him out completely. He caught her readily, placing a hand onto her cheek.

"Zelda!? Are you alright?"

Hearing him right next to her, she slowly nodded, having a slight headache now, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. Instead, she was much more worried about what Ganondorf had said to her with his final lines. "I'm...fine," she breathed out, looking over at him. She couldn't tell him what he'd said, but how could she keep it from him? How could she make her way to the Palace in two hours?

Link felt her gripping his shirt tightly as if deeply troubled, and he asked in concern, "What did he say to you?

She stared at him quietly, then finally whispered, "He knows now that I'm the Seventh Sage, and he said that I would bring the essences back to him. In turn, he's blocked out Myriad so that she cannot aide us."

Link glared toward the now blackened stone, balling his fist in anger, his brows narrowing. With a deep breath, he asked, "Did he tell you about your parents."

Zelda, her eyes shedding tears, shook her head no. "No," and in addition to the lie, one which was paining her greatly to tell, she asked him, "do you think that means they might..."

She couldn't finish. Closing her eyes, she felt him hugging her tightly, and she started crying harder. But she wasn't crying for the reasons he thought she was. She was crying because she was sorry for the deceit she was putting him through, because she felt terrible for it. Ganondorf was cruel indeed, and she completely hated him.

Oblivious to this, honestly thinking that she believed there was a good chance that her parents were dead since she'd been forced to tell him that Ganondorf hadn't spoken of them, Link tried to comfort her. "No," he shook his head, "he's waiting, waiting for you to arrive so that he can present them to you and hang them over your head when you get there."

Zelda was clinging to him tightly, whispering in her head how sorry she was, wishing she could tell him the truth, but she couldn't. If she arrived with him, Hadinaru and Nissandra would die. Even if she did tell him with the aim of leaving before him, he wouldn't allow her to go by herself, and she didn't have much time. Any surprises, or anything remotely suspicious, and he would take their lives.

Slowly pushing herself back from the hug Link had been giving her, she looked at him and nodded her head, letting him wipe her eyes for her with his thumbs. There was still question to be asked however, over words Myriad had spoken, and Zelda brought that up to him now, hoping it might, for the moment, distract his attention from her lies.

"What about Myriad? She said something about invoking spirits, or light guardians."

"I'd just thought of that," Link admitted, looking to the side for a moment. As he considered it, he began, "Myriad said to take you to the revolt in order to lead them. Maybe Impa can tell you more of what we need to know."

Zelda nodded, believing that was a good course of action. If Ganondorf was allotting her two hours, she was going to use them both to do what Myriad said needed to be done before she left. She'd simply have to find a way to get Link's flute before she did so in order to teleport using the stones. "Let's go then," she suggested, "so we can find out what it was."

"Alright," he nodded and then turned with her to mount their horses. Link was on Epona's back before Zelda got onto Frost's, and as she did, settling herself in the saddle, she realized she had a particular soreness between her thighs that she knew the source of. As if the pain of lying wasn't enough for her to bare in that moment, she now had to have this annoyance, but even still, it was an embarrassing thought indeed, distracting her from what she knew she had to do for a short time.

Trying not to look too uncomfortable, especially when Link glanced back at her to see if she was ready or not, she lifted her hips up from the saddles a bit by pushing her feet into the stirrups.

Link spied the discomfort anyway, and in doing so, he trotted up next to her, asking, "Is everything alright?"

With a nod of her head, thinking she'd adjusted, Zelda didn't mention the events of the evening before and how they'd made love which was causing her soreness, but a blush slowly crept onto her cheeks anyway. "I'm fine," she whispered softly and started trotting along to prove it, heading toward the gates quickly.

But with the saddle slapping beneath her, she found it increasingly hard to concentrate on anything, and she finally slowed to a stop. The pain wasn't exactly excruciating at all, just very annoying to have considering she didn't want to be distracted at that point in time. She slowed to a stop once they reached the gates of the Valley, trying to wait for Link, but he, moving in beside of her, knew exactly what was bothering her as he'd watched her riding.

Trotting over toward her, she felt him reaching an arm out for her to wrap around her waist. With a soft sigh, she let him, helped him gather her up so that she was sitting side saddle across his lap on Epona's back, easing the soreness between her legs a great deal, and he asked her, "Is that better?"

She was just glad he hadn't mentioned anything specific, though his caring and kindness definitely wasn't helping when she felt so badly for keeping him in the dark. It was embarrassing, and it put her in a very bad mood, but she nodded and told him, "Much. It's not so bad really, just very irritating."

Link wasn't sure he could understand completely, but he could imagine it wasn't any fun. But a consideration hit him in that moment, and he lifted a brow and asked, "Do you want some potion?"

Zelda pursed her lips, then shook her head, too embarrassed to look at him, trying her best not to think of the night before when she pressed her face shyly to his shoulder. "No, maybe when we get to the revolt, but not any of ours. We might need it for something more urgent. Let's just go for now."

Link supposed her embarrassment was the cause of her need to leave so quickly, and he nodded at her, letting her hide against him if it made her feel any better. "Alright," he nodded, taking Frost's reigns so he could lead the horse with his, and before he could start heading through the gates, he heard someone calling his name.

"Link, wait up!"

Looking back, the both of them spotted Nabooru riding toward them, and as she drew closer, she tugged on the reigns and halted her horse before theirs. Once she'd stopped, she took in a breath and informed them, "I'm coming with you."

Link and Zelda exchanged a slightly confused glance, and Zelda sensed something about the woman that she didn't have time to speak over before Link started in reply to her. "Nabooru, are you sure about that? It's not going to be very much fun where we're going. I have to leave Zelda with the revolt members and then head to Hyrule."

Shaking her head, Nabooru replied, "No, there's something you don't know. I have to go with you now. It's too important not to. Remember the story you told me in my home before you left?"

Link gave Nabooru a nod and then he listened along with Zelda as she continued. "Dragmire didn't really kill my son like you think."

The words shocked them, but before either of them could ask a question, the redhead continued, "I heard that Dragmire and Druno, the man who fathered my son, are the same person. I know that my son isn't really dead, but who he is now, Ganondorf, needs to be stopped at all costs." Nabooru took a breath and shook her head slowly before she looked down at the back of her horse's head, "It's my responsibility to help with this, and I can't sit idly by while you, who's been more of a son to me than my true son would ever even wish to become now, is harmed by him."

Link couldn't help his incredulous stare, asking, "How...did you find out?"

Nabooru gave a small smile, looking up before admitting, "Your mother. I spoke with her while you were in the Temple of Spirit. We talked for a long time, and she told me everything about Dragmire and herself, and how she had to give you up because of my son's father. I owe this to her, and to myself, to help Zelda claim the throne that's rightfully hers."

With a sigh, Link supposed that made sense, but he had to remind her, "Nabooru, he's your son. I may end up killing him."

Nabooru gave him a thoughtful gaze for just a moment, and then nodded her head slowly. "You're right, you might. But the Gerudo have been preparing for an attack from this king for a while now, and in realizing this, I can't help but feel as if the story you told me earlier is the truth, and Dragmire murdered my child. If he were the same child I birthed, the true king of the Gerudo, there is no chance he would ever attack his own people. I'll feel remorse, I know, but something Myriad told me made me come to this conclusion."

Zelda couldn't help her curiosity when she asked, "What did she say?"

"She told me that Ganondorf was heavily influenced all of his life by Dragmire, changed from what he would have become if he hadn't been under that evil influence." Nabooru explained with a wave of her hand. "He's too far gone to be saved now, but if I assist you, I'll at least be honoring the memory of the child I gave birth to, and honoring the Hylian who became my son when he was ten years old."

The words made both of them slowly smile. Somehow it sounded exactly like the kind of sage advice and wisdom Myriad would give. Nabooru smirked in return to their smiles, telling them both, "I've mourned my entire life already. At least now I can finally know the truth of everything. That's all that I can really ask for." With the words, she took in a breath and began moving, adding as she past them with a sudden prideful smirk on her pretty face, "Besides, there's something else."

"What's that?" Link asked, heading in behind her as he began to trot along in order to head through the gates with the two ladies.

Looking back, Nabooru grinned and told him, "I'm the new Sage of Spirit. Top that, Hero of Legend." With a loud laugh, she kicked her heels into her horses flanks and took off riding.

Link lifted a single brow, blinking his eyes, then glanced at Zelda. She shrugged, and despite the way she actually felt which she'd been hiding from Link, she couldn't help a little smile of her own, the information being what she'd sensed of the woman when Nabooru had arrived to inform them that she was going to travel with them. Casually, Zelda told him, "She's definitely spirited enough to be."

"That's for sure," he told Zelda in response and then goaded his own horse off to ride in behind Nabooru's. As they caught up to her, they continued on through the desert under the somewhat overcast sky as it had become, and Zelda continued hugging Link in silent apology for what she knew she had to do very soon now.

Link was simply thinking she might've been sore on top of affected by what Ganondorf had said, though he didn't know to what extent, and he rubbed her arm in sympathy, unknowing she was actually feeling very guilty in that moment in time. The sentiment he'd showed her only made it worse, but she wasn't just feeling guilty, she was also scared. She was very afraid of what was to come, wishing she could have switched her Triforce half out with his for a while if it were possible.

Eventually, they made it back to the teleportation stone, and Link pulled the flute from his pouch. Zelda closed her eyes, listening to his playing as the song began, and Nabooru watched the power unfolding around them in order to take them to where they needed to go. Their bodies began to shimmer up into the air and out of sight.

Sooner or later, Zelda thought as they left, trying to comfort herself, all of this would be set right. She would simply do what she had to.


	63. The Final Battle

_Chapter 62 - The Final Battle_

It was snowing over the cliff sides surrounding the Zora River. Lyonel was waiting, the Myriad Stone that resided in the outpost of the revolt having turned black, and he, Impa, Arden, and Tenio had gone up to the top of the cliff where the Teleportation Stone resided in order to await Zelda and Link's arrival. Nissa was sitting on Impa's shoulder quietly, watching the skies. Though they had no idea when the two would get there, Myriad had told them of what she would be instructing her son to do, and so they knew that it could be anytime that they would turn up.

"I hope that kid shows up soon," Arden commented. "It's cold out here."

Lyonel smirked, asking, "A big man like you? Cold? Surely you have enough insulation to keep warm in all of this."

He turned to look at the blindfolded man who could see him with the help of an amulet that Impa had made for him that was imbued with the sight of shadow, hanging around his neck and beneath his armor, watching as his words suddenly made the blind man crack a grin and laugh.

Impa smiled as she stood near them and listened to their idle chatter to pass the time. It was a quiet evening out, almost eerily so, and she, with the powers of the Sage of Shadow back in her possession once again, lifted her head through their talks while she considered something. "This is no normal cold. There is evil within it."

The three men with her seemed to agree despite their talks, Tenio telling them, "I was considering as much. It's still early winter, and this cold is much too sharp, almost biting."

Lyonel tilted his head forward. It seemed as if the dawn of their battle was right upon them. In turning his head toward Impa, he caught her brown-red eyed gaze, and she seemed to share the same sentiments with only a look. They were as prepared as they could ever become, and Impa parted her lips to speak in addition to what they'd been discussing. "There is some good news however. I sense a new Sage has arisen from the element of Spirit."

In turn, Arden and Tenio looked over at Impa with Lyonel, and she idly folded and unfolded her fingers against her palm as she held her arms crossed over her chest. "She'll be coming with them when they arrive."

"This _is_ good news," Tenio nodded, "the Sage Powers have all found new and proper masters to serve." Having consulted Myriad gave them the information that after Kioson, the Sage of Fire, had found his path, there came a new Sage of Water, Esair of the Zora whom served Queen Majalyn, and not too long ago, Nissa, sitting on Impa's shoulder now, close to her neck for more warmth, had arisen as the Sage of Forest once the essences had all been released.

"Yes," Impa told them in response to Tenio's comment, "and now we can all assist the Hero and the Seventh Sage much more easily."

It had taken a slight bit of time for the unbalanced powers before the Essence of Spirit had been relinquished for some of the new Sages to find their paths, but all of the chess pieces were now moving into position. Before more could be spoken on it however, they all heard the doors on the roof of the cliff behind them being pushed up and open in the snow. Looking back, they witnessed Dorrel climbing up and outside into the gloomy weathered sky, boots breaking the snow about his feet.

"Goddesses it's gotten cold out here!," he exclaimed as he turned and headed toward the four who were waiting, glad for his fur lined cloak now as he stopped and asked, "Any sign of them yet?"

Once he'd asked the question, they all heard a sound and looked up to see a twinkling of light in the distance. Lyonel smiled when this happened, and parting his lips to speak, he was interrupted by Arden before he could get his words out.

"Din's fire, Dorrel, you should have come up and had them summoned sooner."

Dorrel let a loud belly laugh over the words, and Lyonel decided that Arden had done all of the damage as far as talking was concerned, so he would be silent for now. As the twinkling grew brighter toward them and formed over the stone that was currently hidden beneath the snow on the cliff, it took the shape of Link, Zelda, their horses, and a woman he'd never met before which Impa had sensed the coming of. Once settled properly atop the stone they'd used the power of through Link's flute, the five began to head toward them quietly.

Looking over, Link seemed a little surprised to see all of them waiting there, helping Zelda down off of his horse before he and Nabooru dismounted as well. The first thing all of them noticed however was the extreme change in temperature. While it had been cool in the Gerudo Desert, it was simply freezing here.

Nabooru, whom was wearing more clothing than her usual belly tops and thin skirts, though not much more - her red and orange shirt long enough to hide her belly but still with short sleeves - shivered, so used to the desert's heat, and exclaimed, "We went to a Yeti Cave!"

Link grinned and looked for his cloak in his satchels, finding it and handing it to her. "I should have warned you, but I kind of forgot."

"Well, at least you're gentlemanly enough to give me your cloak," she smiled, and then looked over, seeing the five people before her. As she pulled the cloak over her shoulders, she commented, "Well, the calvary awaits us. I didn't think my arrival would be so anticipated."

Impa smiled over the words and heard Tenio ask her, "Sage of Spirit, you say?"

Impa gave the Hylian a nod and looked over at Zelda as the Princess moved toward her to give her a hug. Without hesitation, Impa reached out to return the embrace, informing the young woman, "Zelda, I'm glad to see you again. Dressed so properly as well."

The words were quite honest instead of jesting as Impa felt that seeing the true Royal Highness in a garment befitting her actually station was a good omen indeed. It made Zelda smile just a little, and standing back after she'd hugged Impa and Nissa told her how beautiful she looked, she asked the white haired woman, "You're the Sage of Shadow?" Then she glanced at Nissa. The Sage of Forest?

"Yes," Impa started, explaining, "I was the only one whom survived Dragmire's consumption of the powers as I came to realize that one by one the Sages were being wiped away, so I withdrew my position before anything could happen to me until more light could be shed on the situation. Now with the Sage of Spirit in place, we have all that we need to commence."

Zelda thought over those words, able to sense as well as Impa that there were more Sages out there now, and Impa added to her previous words, "A Zora named Esair has taken his place in the Temple of Water, and Nissa," she smirked, "as the Sage of Forest."

Zelda had been able to sense it was the fairy flittering before her now, giggling softly over her new station. Somehow it all seemed to make sense, Nissa's homeland being within the Kokiri Forest and Esair's the watery domain of the Zora. With this knowledge, that the Sages had once again found their places, Zelda did in fact rest a bit easier despite what she now had to do.

While they spoke, Link walked over to greet his father, listening for a moment to their conversation. He was glad to hear that things were already starting to flow back in the direction of normalcy again, even if they still had a battle to be fought. But with those considerations in his head, he looked over at Nabooru and said, "Father, this is Nabooru. She's the one who saved my life when I was ten, and she's been a mother to me ever since."

Nabooru, shivering from the cold, her teeth chattering, gave Lyonel a respectful nod as Link introduced him back to her. "Nabooru, this is Lyonel."

Lyonel gave the woman a smile, and told her earnestly, "Thank you. I'm glad to have the opportunity to meet you finally. I'm endlessly indebted."

"I'm glad Link had the opportunity to meet _you_," she replied, making Lyonel a bit curious over her words before she explain, "he'd always wondered where he came from, and I shared the same sentiments." She watched Lyonel nodding in response to her words, and with them spoken, she waved a hand before rubbing them together again for warmth, "But let's skip the formalities, it's colder than an Ice Maiden's bodice out here." The words drew a snicker from Dorrel and Arden, and hearing it, she grinned and asked, "So, were you all just waiting on us?"

With the question asked, it was Impa who answered, "Yes. Myriad informed us she would be directing Zelda to stay here, and with the stones being blocked by dark power, we decided to come up and wait."

Nabooru nodded in understanding, and Zelda got their attention as she looked at Impa and said, "Speaking of the stones, Ganondorf found out I'm the Seventh Sage. Now he's expecting me to bring all of our powers to him. On top of that, he cut Myriad of in the middle of instructing us on what we needed to do. She said something about invoking spirits or light guardians now that the Sage Powers had been released. Do you know what she was speaking of?"

Impa narrowed a brow in thought, looking to the side. "Hmm," she considered aloud. Zelda watched her quietly, hoping something came to mind, waiting patiently for an answer. "It sounds as if Myriad wants you to invoke the Spirit Guardians of the Realms using the Sage powers, and summon forth their power of Light. They have been held at bay because of Dragmire's interference, this much I am sure of. You being the Seventh are the only one who can reawaken them."

Zelda narrowed her brows over the news in thought. Reawaken the Spirit Guardians? "Was there anything specific though that I was to do once they are awakened?," she asked aloud.

Impa continued thinking, unsure about it, and she took a few steps past Zelda in her considerations. "Some Spirit Guardians are known to grant gifts when indebted. Wait," she turned around and gave Zelda a look of realization. "Did she specifically say Light Guardians?"

"Yes," Zelda nodded.

It made much more sense to them both now that Impa had asked that question. Impa gave Zelda a knowing look, and she spoke for all of them to hear, "Summon the Arrows of Light for Link, grant him the power to use the weapons. They will definitely be an extremely powerful aide in his battle against Ganondorf."

Zelda nodded, thinking it all made sense now as she'd reached the same conclusion with Impa. Taking a deep breath, she curled her fingers into fists, then looked over at Link.

He'd stepped toward her, a somewhat puzzled and curious look on her face, and she explained, "It makes sense. Impa taught me about the Spirit Guardians, but I don't think we got very far into the lessons before all of this happened, did we?"

"No, we did not," Impa replied. Then she looked at Link and waved a hand in explanation, "They are Spirits that dwell within the fabric of time and space between the realms. While neutral to all causes and only meant to protect the balance between the realms such as where Hyrule exists and that of the Sacred Realm, they do allot gifts if favors are done for them. You and Link have definitely done them a favor. These guardians are that which granted Myriad with alternate abilities when Dragmire originally summoned the Dark Powers he did, in order to keep a balance between the two realms. If Ganondorf cut you off before she could inform you of this, then he did so because they will more than likely help tremendously in bringing him down."

Listening, Link gave an understanding nod of his head. Then he looked over at Zelda when she spoke. "I will invoke them now then, so they can reawaken and grant us this power before more can be done."

Zelda considered her next actions when she was under such a time limit as Ganondorf had placed upon her. Would he know what she'd done and hold it against her? She was following his stipulations, still had over an hour to reach the Palace, but would he play by the rules? Zelda knew there was risk involved, no matter if she went left or right, but hearing about the powerful gift that she could now aide Link with, she had to do this for him. She just hoped that in doing so she would not suffer much of a consequence at Ganondorf's hands.

Her eyes had closed. As they did, her hands began to glow a brilliant blue green color, and she focused her efforts on the task at hand which she wished to perform. In doing so, Impa, Nabooru, and Nissa all felt a calling, and across the lands, in Death Mountain, the Goron named Kioson also felt that calling.

From Lake Hylia, Esair gave his strength to help, and with the six Sage powers summoned, combining to aide their seventh, and between the two planes of existence that fused the Sacred Realm with their own came a bright burst of light. Though unseen by the ones that were standing atop the cliff side now, the Spirit Guardians began to awaken, and the overhead clouds grew brighter.

Link looked up when this happened, as did Tenio, Dorrel, and Lyonel. The mist of weather looming in the sky had started twisting, and Zelda's arms had raised out from her sides slowly, the six sage essences combining within her, spiraling down one by one with different colors representing their forces, and once culminated, a light enveloped the Princess's body with a loud whirr of energy. Silence ensued for only a moment before power shot up from her body and into the swirling clouds overhead.

Once this had happened, while that energy left her body, she took a deep breath and opened her eyes, placing her hand over her chest as if winded, which she did feel as such. Nabooru, Nissa, and Impa looked up into the sky with her, watching the clouds quietly as the snows fell about them all, flakes landing in their hair and on their clothing, just waiting for the response to be given.

Suddenly, in a gusting pattern as the light Zelda had sent off disappeared, the clouds began to swirl down closer as if building on one another with a force of energy behind them. A rumbling in the atmosphere then sounded when a beam of light glimmered, and with a sudden motion, shot back out of the sky and onto the two Hylians whom had freed the Sage Essences, thus enabling the Spirit Guardians to finally awaken after their long slumber.

The six people surrounding the two watched as this happened, the power enveloping the Hero's body as well as the Princess's, granting them both the power that Impa had suggested, the ability to turn their arrows into the weapons of light which would bring down their dark foe much more easily. As they felt that ability flooding through them, the light that had enveloped them began to fade away after a moment, and the clouds above in the sky started to return to normal.

Impa, once this had happened, stepped before them and gave a smile, saying, "We are now ready for anything."

The words made Nabooru and Dorrel smile while Lyonel and Tenio looked on in revelation, and Arden spoke up as he usually did, "I've always been ready. Just point my blind arse in the right direction."

In turn, laughter arose from nearly everyone, and Link grinned back at Arden, saying, "I'd have you watching my back any time, Arden."

Arden even got a good laugh out of that, having only grinned widely at his own joke beforehand, and he gave a manly slap of the back, or in this case, shield, to Link. The motion made Link grin, looking over at Zelda who had a little smile on her own face. The smile got his attention, as somehow it didn't seem to be as jubilant as it usually was when jokes were made like this, and it got him curious. Was she alright?

Oblivious to what Link was thinking, they heard Dorrel ask, "Your Highness, will you two be eating? I could have a meal prepared before anything else ensues."

Zelda thought about that for a moment, and she then shook her head, "No Dorrel, that will not be necessary. But I would like to have a word alone with Link if it's alright."

"Yes, my lady, of course," Dorrel replied, getting Tenio's attention and taking the Hylian with him inside. In turn, Impa and Arden also followed, Nissa moving over their shoulders, and Arden slowly stopped when he noticed Lyonel still standing there, curious over what his friend might say to his son.

Nabooru had told the two she'd see them later, and she quickly took off and out of the cold weather because she was freezing. Link watched them leaving, and then he looked at his father as Lyonel stepped over.

"Link, I know you're worried about leaving her here, but she will be fine. Before you leave, I wanted to let you know that."

Knowing the way his son felt for the Princess, Link understood why his father felt the need to express that to him, and he smiled. "She was in good hands before, and she'll continue to be now, I know. Don't worry about me either. Mother told me that Ganondorf is afraid of me, and I intend to keep that in mind. We'll get this fight won and then I'll come back here with," he stopped for just a moment, looking at Zelda before he smiled and said to his father, "all due haste."

Lyonel grinned, giving Link a nod of his head and a light slap on his shoulder. From behind him, the curious Arden asked, "So, you've got a thing for the Lady, huh? A Royal and a Commoner?"

Lyonel snorted over Arden's question, looking back to the blinded soldier with the remark, "Link isn't a commoner, Arden. Myriad was born on the court of nobility."

"Well, he's a commoner until she claims him properly," Arden chuckled, then waved his hand, "Not that it would matter," he added before he started heading back inside, "Hadinaru is going to like the kid. I can already tell that much."

Link couldn't help a smile, hoping the old soldier was right, looking over at Zelda to see that she was smiling as well, but something still seemed sad about it. He could only wonder for the moment though why that might have been as she spoke, "Lyonel, I'll be down in just a moment. I want to say goodbye to Link."

Maybe that was why she looked sad. It didn't sit well with her that they had to be separated, Link considered, so her mood just wasn't as good as it could have normally been. Lyonel nodded and gave Link a pat on his shoulder, turning to make his exit from the scene, and once he'd stepped down the stairs through the open door, Link turned to look at Zelda so they could have their talk before he left.

"Are you worried I won't be alright?"

"Of course," she nodded, "but I also feel burdened with everything."

"It will all be over soon now," he promised, letting her step toward him in order to embrace in a hug. "It seems like forever ago that this started now."

"I know," she whispered in reply, "it's almost surreal, isn't it?"

"I can agree with that," he said, thinking over it as he felt her tightening her grip. Looking to the side, able to see her pointed ear and blonde hair flowing over it, he whispered, "Don't be afraid. This won't be like last time. I'll be fine, I promise."

She knew he would be, even though he didn't know what twists were involved yet, and her time was growing short. Still, she couldn't stop herself from hugging him, much more tightly than she meant to, and turning her head, she leaned up and pressed her lips to his with a sweet kiss that was intended to both tell him how much she loved him, as well as to inform him on how sorry she was for what she was about to do.

Link was oblivious, anything from Zelda completely unexpected because he trusted her fully, and had every right to despite what she was being forced into. Continuing to kiss her, feeling her hands moving to the sides of his neck, his eyes stayed closed while he enjoyed her closeness and the sweetness of her mouth beneath his. Even though it was a slow kiss, it seemed urgent between them somehow, both of them trying to savor every moment as it lasted.

Zelda lowered her hands down across his chest and sides while his fingers moved to the small of her back. Feeling this, the way she'd moved against him, Link broke the kiss and asked softly, "Are you sure you don't want me to stay a little longer?"

She nodded slowly, taking in his face as if to brand into her mind, her eyes feeling a little misty with unshed tears before she leaned up to give him one more short kiss that was sorrowful. Somehow Link could tell, and he broke the kiss in order to look her in the eyes fully, saying, "Something else is wrong, Zelda. Tell me what it is."

Zelda's tears had began to fall down her cheeks, and she knew that now it was time as she stepped back from him quietly with a deep breath, which he allowed her to do just for the sake of letting her get it all out. "I'm sorry," she whispered, and Link waited for her to continue while he watched her lifting her gloved hand, a bright power forming in her palm. Seeing this, his brows narrowed as he stepped toward her in question just before a dome of magic formed around him.

It stopped him in his tracked, putting his hands up when he ran into it, and with a good deal of confusion, he looked back through the magical barrier and at the woman, exclaiming, "Zelda!? What are you doing!?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered again with a slow shake of her head, stepping back through the falling snow slowly, never breaking her eye contact with him until she was a short distance away.

"I have to do this." Finally, she turned around and headed toward Epona.

"Do what!?," Link yelled, reached up and hitting his fist against the dome surrounding him, but it wouldn't break beneath his force. After he'd done that, he watched her, adding, "Zelda, speak to me, what is it you have to do!?"

Zelda found his satchel on Epona's saddle and reached inside, grasping the flute in her fingers and pulling it out. Seeing this, the item she'd grasped, Link pressed his hands against the magic barrier and watched her taking Frost's reigns with wide eyes. What was she doing, and what's more, why wouldn't she talk to him!?

Zelda did look over at him as she gathered her horse toward the Teleportation Stone though. The expression on her face was a sorrowful one. "I love you, Link. But I can't stay here. I have to go to him."

This evoked a much more colorful response from her friend and lover, slamming his fist into the magical dome again to try to break free and stop her. "No! You don't!," Link yelled the words urgently, as well as angrily though that emotion wasn't directed at her in specific, already knowing what she was planning though why was a different story. "Zelda, stop, what did he say to you!? Let me out and tell me!"

Zelda didn't reply, simply stepped over toward the teleportation stone and mounted Frost's back. She could hear him yelling her name behind her as she raised the flute to her lips, and the sound stopped her for just a moment, feeling as if she'd give anything to listen to him and let him out of the barrier in order to take him with her, but she had to go alone, without him completely, otherwise she compromised her parent's lives.

Suddenly it all became clear to Link. Ganondorf had to have threatened her parents in order to tell her to come alone, and the terms had been not to tell him anything about it. Unable to reach her however as the tune started playing, Link turned around and yelled, "_Impa!_," knowing the woman might have a better time of reasoning with, or stopping altogether, the fleeing Princess.

His previous shouting had already attracted attention, and he saw his father and Impa emerging from the room below, watching the scene before them as Link yelled, "She's trying to go to the Palace of Hyrule alone, stop her!"

Impa was the first to move when Link yelled that, phasing out of sight and over toward the stone under the teleportation of shadow, moving swiftly, but as she approached the Princess, a barrier of magic stopped the Sage. It was too late anyway. The three of them watched as Zelda's form shimmered into blue orbs and took off, drifting through the air and toward the direction of Hyrule's Fields where the darkest clouds of all resided.

"Zelda!," Link yelled, angrily hitting his fist into the barrier again.

"Link, what happened?," Lyonel asked as he approached his trapped son.

Narrowing his brows in frustration, Link took a deep breath and then looked over at his father, "When we were interrupted in our communications with Myriad, Ganondorf contacted Zelda and spoke to her. She didn't tell me everything because he was threatening her parent's lives. He had to have told her that if she didn't come alone, he would kill Hadinaru and Nissandra, and if she told me anything more, he would do the same thing."

Arden and Tenio had come running back up during Link's litany, and Tenio asked, "Zelda went to Hyrule alone?" His eyes were wide with worry.

"Yes, and I have to go get her," Link informed them, hitting his hand into the barrier once again. "How long will it take if I travel the path of the Zora River?"

Impa spoke to him as she approached him from behind, "It will be much quicker if you use the same path Zelda took."

Link glanced back, "I can't, she has the flute."

"I know," Impa replied, coming to a stop outside of the barrier, "but you are speaking to a Sheikah, and we have the power to use the stones to teleport you. Those stones were a gift in honor of our kind from the Zora for the favor of protecting their royal family in the face of war. We were the only ones who could fluently use them."

It was while she explained this that the barrier faded, and much too slowly for his tastes. Waiting for it while it wavered in and out of existence, Link was finally freed, and he looked over and told Impa once it had, "Then teleport me now."

Impa was in no position to disagree, but a sudden yell from within the walls of the outpost got all of their attentions.

"River Town is under attack! Jackal Knights are coming! They're heading in from Lake Hylia!"

The warning made them all turn their heads toward the direction of the lake for a moment and the gorge of the river that flowed between the cliffs they now stood upon high above it. "Those damned things," Arden grumbled, and without wasting time, he moved off and toward the door, Tenio following closely behind him.

Link balled his fists. Of all the times these knights could have attacked, it had to be now didn't it. He couldn't just run away when these people were in danger, but he also couldn't let Zelda go to Hyrule alone, though apparently that damage had already been done. If she had to go alone as well, and Link followed her too closely, wouldn't that endanger her parents? He was unsure, but he knew he couldn't just leave them all in peril.

As he thought this, Impa looked over and said, "Hurry Link, I can still teleport you quickly before they need me."

"No," Link shook his head, "they need you now. Go help them."

Impa sighed out her breath, her white hair wavering in the breeze as she watched him, then she nodded, "I'll be back to help you soon."

With a nod, Link watched her running off quickly, and Lyonel looked back to his son. "Link, I have to go help them." It was then that he noticed Link was moving toward the edge of the cliff which was facing the gorge that the river flowed through from the direction of the lake and he called to him, "Link!?"

Link came to a stop at the edge of the cliff, looking down to see the bridges below him, and in response to his father, he called back, "So do I."

Lyonel had moved toward his position, but he went wide eyed and yelled his son's name as Link jumped off of the ledge. Following him through the snow and stopping at the edge of the cliff side himself, he looked down and spotted Link hanging from a bridge about fifteen feet below which he was working himself up onto.

"Link!?"

Hearing his father, Link cast his eyes down at the gorge, and he could see the knights heading on horseback toward the town from the lake. Looking up, he told Lyonel, "Go, I'll be fine."

Lyonel wanted to, but he was too interested in watching as his son pulled his hookshot off of his belt and leapt from the bridge as if he might have been five feet off of the ground instead of fifty, falling through the air and the falling snowflakes.

As he descended downward, Link shot off the hookshot and the chain flew toward a rock wall, latching onto it easily. But Link didn't release the hammer to be drawn up until he was a little closer to the ground. He was overhead some of the knights riding in beneath him now, and finally he released the hammer. In response to the action, he felt the chain tightening. Pulling his weight up, he swung in behind the dog headed knight he was heading toward and with his free hand, he pulled the Master Sword from his back and swiped it with a yell of attack, cleaving the beast's head from it's body.

The jackal knight's body went falling from the horse it had been settled on and was trampled beneath the hooves of more rider's coming up behind them with gruesome crunches, some of which tried to fire arrows at Link, but his movement made them miss him.

Link swung forward high enough that he released the hold his chain had on the rock wall and reached out for the rope of a bridge before himself. Grasping it with his left arm and there while the chain was sucked back into the barrel of the hookshot, Link cast his blue eyes down at the scene below him, then fired the hookshot a second time.

When it lodged itself into the wall again, he let go of the rope and, swinging from a much lower bridge this time, he let the chain tighten immediately so he wouldn't hit the ground. The horse that was without a rider now was running up beneath him, another rider on the running horse's left side, and Link unlatched the hookshot to place onto his belt again before he fell into the saddle. With the wind and snow whipping passed him, he grabbed the reigns with one hand, drawing his sword to bring up quickly against an axe swung at him from the riding knight to his left.

Having deflected the blow, Link knocked the axe back with a grunt of force and swiped his sword against the knights armor, tearing through it with the power of his blade. The slice caused the Jackal to reel back with a snarl of anger while they drew closer to River Town, and Link took the opportunity to stab the knight in his torso before ripping his sword back out completely, black blood flying out and away from them, spattering into the white snow.

As this happened, Link had noticed movement on his right side, and he turned to face it, seeing that his enemy was already bringing a sword down onto him. Link didn't have much time to react, and knew he was about to be hit, but the Hylian saw an arrow flying into his opponent's head seemingly out of no where. The Jackal became still, the weapon piercing his skull and killing him instantly. While the dark knight fell away from his horse, Link looked forward to see Tenio standing on the path ahead of him, bow in hand.

Indebted to his fellow Hylian, Link, as he rode past the silver haired archer, had already found a way to pay that debt off, leaping from the racing horse's back he'd been settled on and toward a Jackal whom was sneaking up behind the revolt member with a war hammer ready to strike, malice in the Jackal's glowing red eyes. Tenio hadn't been sure why Link had done that until he turned and spotted Link landing on the knight, bringing his sword down into the beast's head with a yell of force.

Breathing out a soft sigh that showed up as mist in the cold air around them, Tenio heard Link saying as he stood up and pulled his sword from the knight's skull, "Thank you for the help."

Tenio shook his head, "No, thank you for staying long enough to help."

Link continued to breath heavily with a nod of his head. "Don't mention it," he replied, and then headed off into battle in order to protect one of the last remaining villages in the kingdom before the knights could reach it in order to destroy it.

He just hoped, while he fought these creatures off with the aide of the revolt at hand, that Zelda would be fine. She was smart, so he would have to rely on that quality to keep her safe until he could reach her. For now, he had to concentrate on the attack they were under.

Archers had moved onto the bridges, and notching flaming arrows, they released the blazing weapons down through the falling snow and toward a calvary of Jackal Knights. Some were hit, others lost horses, as well as one or two of the evil beings becoming completely consumed when the flames burst on impact. But more were coming in behind them, and any that were unfortunate enough to be downed by the revolt's arrows, even if they were still living, were trampled underfoot of their comrades mercilessly, a true testament to the Evil King whom had sent them.

Along the path of the gorge, Lyonel went riding away from River Town with Epona by his side, having made his way through the canyons to be one of the back up men that would keep the dogs that made it through their front lines from reaching the village while other members of the revolt went to try and keep the villagers safe and hidden. As Lyonel rode away, hitting his heels into his horses hind flanks with a yell, he noticed that their enemy lined both sides of the river, not just the left side. Another group was riding unchecked toward the village on the right across the waterway.

Using the magic he'd learned from his studies of the arcane, his fist set ablaze when he held his arm out, just before a burst of fire shot forth from his hand and toward the opposite side of the river. The blazing inferno slammed into the rock wall of the gorge and exploded out into the group of their enemies moving past it, knocking them off the backs of their horses, and some into the flowing, frigid waters.

Lyonel drew his reigns up, about to call for someone to get over to the other side of the river and stop the rest of the dogs from reaching River Town, when he heard a battle cry from above. Overhead on a bridge, Arden came running, leaping down from the structure settled twenty feet above the ground and toward one of the horses in true berserker style, his large sword cleaving his enemy in two, as well as the top of the horse's head on which he'd been riding.

Both the dark knight and the horse went down, and Lyonel nodded at his friend on the other side of the river now before he turned to ride on. Over his shoulder as he left the scene went flying a purple orb of light, heading around toward Arden's position swiftly. Nissa landed on the large man's shoulder, and she planted her hands into his armor, igniting a barrier of electricity around him that would aide him even further in his fight.

Meanwhile, Lyonel continued on down the path, seeing his son and Tenio in the distance engaged in battle, surrounded by at least five of the drooling Jackals, thirsty for blood. As they fought side by side, Lyonel's attention was caught by the splashing sound of the river. Looking up, he saw the vicious scene of some members of the revolt who were falling from the bridge due to arrows piercing them. Watching this and looking back, Lyonel moved to the side when an arrow flew past him.

A group of the snarling hounds with bows and arrows had started heading toward them behind the first wave of their allies, firing the arrows up in order to kill the archers standing upon the bridges. Some people fell to the rocky paths below them from high up, and were trampled beneath riding horses only a moment later.

At the same time, both human and hylian bodies alike went floating down the river, some whom were still alive grabbing rocks to try to pull themselves out of the frigid water, managing to catch hands of others drifting by them, but it was so cold that it was hard to keep a good grip. Lyonel was about to offer one who'd fallen close to him a hand when he felt a pain and let a sharp yell, looking back to spot the tip of an arrow jutting from the back and out of the front of his shoulder. Unable to help his comrade now, he reached up and gripped his arm, then glanced around for danger that could be close by.

Link heard the cry of pain, and glancing toward his father's position, he saw another knight heading up behind Lyonel who had just been hit with an arrow. Link reacted quickly and jumped out of the way of a falling blade wielded by one of his opponents that was trying to cleave him apart, then drew his sword back and turned his arm. As he did, he pushed the limb holding the weapon forward and released the Master Sword into the air, for he knew he'd never be capable of reaching his father in time to stop the attack. The legendary weapon went spinning, glinting the light brightly off of it's black-bloodstained surface before it impaled itself deeply into the chest of the Jackal Knight who would have done his father in.

Still moving toward the opponent as this happened, Link grabbed the hilt of his blade and turned with a hard jerk, ripping the steel out of the Jackal's back just as harshly as it had gone in, then kicked the body to the side and into the waters of the Zora River. Looking up, he saw the blood that stained the left side of his father's cloak, and Lyonel was already shaking his head at Link.

"I'm fine, keep taking them out before they overwhelm us!"

Lyonel had brought Epona down to him, and Link took her reigns now, swinging up onto her back. Looking over at his son, seeing how hard he'd been fighting from the black blood that had splattered across the left side of his face and hair, he listened when Link told him, "I'm not moving from this spot until someone else is here to aide you."

Lyonel couldn't argue with him, taking his sword in his right hand and holding it up at the ready. Looking ahead, Tenio having moved before them, they spotted at least ten horses riding hard toward them. Tenio and Link both notched their arrows, aiming for the beast's heads, firing shot after shot, hitting a few until there were seven left and drawing closer.

Time was running out, and just when they thought they would be engaged, a bright flash of light consumed the area. It blinded their horses, and gave Link, Lyonel, and Tenio a good advantage. Neither man wasted the chance, Impa's magic allowing them to get an upper hand as she moved past on the opposite side of the river now.

The fight grew in size but the revolt held up. Members fell for good, and some were injured, but the battle soon became theirs, and through it all, Lyonel remembered what Link had told him about the dog headed knights they were facing down. Strong but stupid, and that it was easy to get creative with them. Link had been right.

When the last of the, as Arden called them, mutts fell, without a single one passing into River Town to cause it damage, and the gorge was littered with the bodies of soldiers, horses, and their allies alike, the ones who still stood with their lives began to assess the damage around them in the still falling snow. Their breaths came out as steam in the chilled air, and an eery quiet filled everyone's ears. The scent of blood was strong, but it was that of their enemies, and from above, a sudden cry of victory was let from the archers who remained on the bridges above them, unable to detect anymore threats coming toward them now with their greater vantage point.

"The pass is clear!"

As the cheering ensued, Link, standing amidst the bodies lining the ground, his horse slowly trotting toward him, lowered his arms and took in his panted breath. His shield and sword were stained with blood alike, his enemies fallen at his feet, and he closed his blue eyes. They had won this battle, but his fight was far from over. In knowing this, he didn't celebrate with them, though he did feel better in hearing them cheer, glad that, with all the kingdom had been through, it's people were still capable of such a feat.

Lyonel, his hood down around his shoulders from exertion in battle, blonde hair drifting in the air breezing slowly past his face, saw his son from where he stood down the path, watched as Link put his sword into his sheath, then settled his shield over it, and quietly he walked over to where the young hylian was standing. He was worried after all, wanting to make sure his son didn't regret staying behind to help them.

"We wouldn't have been able to do this without your help. I'm sure you'll still reach Zelda in time."

Hearing the words, Link looked back, ignoring the snow drifting between them, and he nodded his head at his father, explaining, "That's why I stayed. Not because I thought you needed my help, or because it was the right thing to do, but because I know she would have wanted me to, and she would have been right."

Hearing this, Lyonel looked Link's face over quietly, seeing that despite their victory, he didn't look any more pleased. So he asked in curiosity, "Our victory doesn't make you anymore glad that you stayed?"

Link looked down and narrowed a single brow, shaking his head, "It's not that. I can't really explain it. I'm glad it was won, but I at the same time, I can't allow myself to celebrate just yet knowing what's still coming."

It was the complete truth, and Lyonel now knew exactly what his son was speaking of. "Then now you've learned what I did at your age. Every victory has a bittersweet taste to it. Now that you've won this, you have to move on to another, and with that knowledge, you and I both know the final battle has begun."

He was right, and those words remained with Link for the rest of his stay with them. Parties began to ready themselves after the battle was through in order to move out, and knowing without sight, Ganondorf stood ready in his throne room. The pieces were now moving, and as he watched the Palace Yards from his vision, he smirked when he saw a rider on a white horse coming through the gates.

"Welcome home, Princess."

At last the time had come. Soon now this war would be close to it's end.


	64. Common Cause

_Chapter 63 - Common Cause_

The lands were damp, dark, and completely dead. The grass had turned brown under the constant cover of night as the thick, black clouds loomed over the fields in the sky. She rode toward the Palace, coming down through a hillside of trees, the barrier she'd erected before she'd even teleported still about her, stopping anything that dared to endanger her well being, but nothing was there, the lands devoid of any type of life, maniacal or other. Zelda could only wonder if that was done intentionally, considering the value of what she was carrying that was being brought to the Palace now.

As Frost rode down the desolate path from the teleportation stone she'd used and made it over the hills and through the leafless tress, he finally arrived into the open field. Spying the state of the area, she closed her eyes and prayed to the Goddesses for strength. The landscape was nothing near the beauty she and Link had once witnessed when they'd first set out on their journey all that time ago. The only words she could use to describe it were desolate, barren, and completely twisted into the opposite of its previous glory. The field was painted in deep green and yellow tones because of the color of the plant life that was dying or dead without sunlight beneath the darkened clouds, and lifting her gaze, she saw the walls of the Palace rising up like sentinels before her, coming closer than she'd ever been to them before.

The cold grey granite that comprised the walls partially hide the structure of the Palace it surrounded from view, the towers reaching up to the skies as if to touch them while lightening flashed overhead. Zelda looked it all over and considered, though she had been born there, this was not the place from which she hailed. She knew this was nothing close to the home she'd been whisked away from so long ago when she was only a baby, and that was a depressing thought to know, if they did fail, she would never be able to see her true home the way it was meant to be.

But nevertheless, she knew her time was short. She still had a chance to set this all right, and she would not quit until that chance had passed. So she dug the heel of her boots into her horse's hind flanks, and took off at a swift gallop.

The drawbridge over the Zora River that led into the Palace yards was down, the gates open, and it didn't take her much time to cross it, a set of eyes watching the white horse she rode upon from above through the windows of the throne room which she did not see.

The yards were filled with dead trees and a muddy pathway that led to another gate which she could only assume entered into the courtyard. She tried to imagine what it might have looked like under her parents rule, those trees probably bearing fruits, perhaps not during the winter time of year, but in spring, they probably bloomed apples and flowers. In her mind, she could see how beautiful her home should have been, and it made her all the more determined to see it returned to that state.

Now long after she'd ridden onto the path however, Zelda felt a power brimming about her that was trying to teleport her, have her summoned, and she knew exactly who it was, drawing Frost's reigns to a stop in the Palace Yards on the muddy path. She closed her eyes and let that power take her, felting it washing over her like a wave while her body shimmered from the horse's back and out of sight. When she reappeared, she opened her eyes to spy that she was standing on a long red carpet leading up to the throne in the middle of a room lined with columns made of marble and granite walls that gave off a cold feel, no warmth or comfort to be had even from the hard shape of the throne before her. Her eyes stopped at that seat, spying the tall form of the king next to it, his back facing her.

As she saw him, her pointed ears heard the words, "Welcome, _your majesty_. You've arrived just in the nick of time. I was beginning to worry."

Zelda took in a breath and her brows narrowed, keeping herself in solid check before this tyrant. Standing her ground, she simply replied, "I'm certain you were, Ganondorf."

His chuckle sounded, and he turned around slowly to face her finally, regard her, the true daughter of the King and Queen at last before him, as he was lied to throughout his young life and told that they were his own. She did resemble them, especially her mother with that glint in her eyes, but the stern expression that held a most regal quality to it was all her father's. Ganondorf slowly stepped down from the steps leading up to the throne as he took this in about her, right own to the way she was dressed, royal attire and all.

"So, _you_ are the one I replaced. Needless to say, ever since I learned the truth, I _have_ been very curious about you."

Zelda remained quiet as he approached her, standing there bravely without backing down even though she had the urge to in the face of the evil she stood before now. He stopped about five feet before her, a good two heads taller than she was, giving her an even look before he continued, "I hope you do not hold me in contempt for that replacement. I had nothing to do with it."

"No," Zelda shook her head, "neither of us did. In that matter, we are both without blame. But I do hold you in contempt for so many other sins."

She watched a smirk lift his lips after she'd informed him of those words, and while Zelda realized he was close to her age, not much older, he somehow seemed to look as if he were. Perhaps it was the evil brewing in his soul that gave him such a look, but he seemed to be closer to his mid thirties perhaps, maybe even forty. It saddened her too, to realize that his hair and beard color nearly completely resembled Nabooru's, the tone of his skin darker in complexion than her own as if he could very easily have been a Gerudo, but she couldn't concentrate on such matters at that moment.

Instead, she listened as he just waved a hand and replied, "I can see how it would anger you, especially holding the King and Queen over your head when I, myself, once called them mother and father. But necessity leads us to do things we wouldn't otherwise care to. You learned that lesson today in coming to me, didn't you?"

Zelda hated that what he'd just said made any sense at all, and she looked away, breathing in slowly. "You didn't have to hold them over my head. You knew I was heading here anyway. You simply wanted me to come without Link because you knew that if I did, you'd be in peril of losing what you wanted."

In turn, her words made even more sense, and Ganondorf scoffed at them, turning away from her with a roll of his eyes and a sigh of breath. "Spoken like a true royal," he muttered, stepping toward the throne. Zelda watched him, quietly, continuing to listen as he went on. "But I _am_ certain you wish to see them before you cooperate, don't you?"

Zelda stepped forward finally, replying, "Yes, at least allow me that much."

"Very well," he spoke casually as if he couldn't have cared less, which he didn't. She watched him heading up and behind the throne, pushing open a secret passageway that rested in the wall there, and as he did, he turned to face her again and held up his hand. "Ladies first."

His attempt at chivalry was lost on her, and she slowly stepped up and toward the door as he'd suggested, heading through the passageway while he followed in behind her. The corridor that lay beyond it was long, lined with torches that cast the only light into the area, and stepping with him, coming to a wall, she noticed the emblem of the Triforce marking it. It appeared to be a solid wall however, but she knew that only someone whom possessed a piece of the relic could make it open up.

Ganondorf went to raise his hand, but he stopped himself when he saw the mark on the back of his left fist already there because of the woman with him whom carried a piece, reacting to the mark like a beacon. He then smirked over the sight of it, then spoke, "If you would, my lady, it will only open to one who carries a piece of the Triforce with them."

Zelda narrowed a brow and lifted her head, then looked back at him, replying, "Then use yours. After all, you're the one who knows where to go."

Her snappy retort made him lift his lips in a smirk. "Very well," he replied, and placed his hand upon the wall. In doing so, the sections began to separate, opening before them both, and Zelda watched them reveal a chamber to her beyond it with a cauldron in the center for which she wasn't sure the purpose of. The rest of the room had books and vials of different varieties that had apparently been unused for a long time if the dust was any indication.

"This was my father's, or rather, _true_ father's, private study," Ganondorf explained as he stepped inside with her. Zelda watched him walking toward an archway in the back of the room from which a blue light seemed to be emanating, adding, "I never had much of a use for it, at least, not in recent years. Not that I'm sure you care to know."

"You're right," Zelda replied, "I don't in particular. Though I am curious. Word had it that he was still alive somewhere. What happened to him?"

Looking back from the archway he'd stopped before, Ganondorf explained, "Well, he gave me all that I needed to know. So without a further point, I ended him." With a dark gleam in his black eyes, he crooked his fingers for her to come with him. Zelda's own eyes returned one of disgust and loathing, hearing that, no matter how evil he may have been, Dragmire met his end at the hands of his own son. Ganondorf had not an ounce of decency in him, not that she ever thought he might have to begin with.

With the notion in mind, she gathered herself and headed toward him slowly, and he also turned to move. The archway had a flight of steps that led up several feet, and Zelda stopped at the landing, watching him ascend them quietly, almost fearing what she might find at the top. What if he'd killed them already? She knew he would if he'd found a reason to, and the dread she felt hit the pit of her stomach like a heavy stone. As he reached the top and turned to look back at her, she almost couldn't move, breathing in steadily to prepare herself, and finally lifted her booted foot, heading up slowly behind him.

The door at the top continued to emanate a soft blue glow that grew brighter the closer she got, and as she entered, she realized the chamber wasn't as disused as the previous had been, somewhat wide with sleek granite walls and marble floors beneath her feet that were polished to a mirror shine nearly. But that wasn't the first thing she noticed, and instead, the sense of deja vu took over while she saw something she'd seen in her dreams several times before now.

Against the walls, lifted from the floors a good several feet in what looked to be sphere shaped jewels, was King Hadinaru and Queen Nissandra, asleep and side by side. Contained within the crystals as they were, they both looked extremely peaceful in their slumber, their faces easy to make out. Nissandra had a soft delicate look, the blue color of the crystal only slightly hiding the fact that she had golden blonde hair, long and curly hanging around her shoulders, her hands folded in front of the bodice of her burgundy gown.

Hadinaru, in turn, wore a burgundy tunic with a pair of darker colored pants, his hair looking a good bit darker as if an auburn blonde color, a beard and moustache on a face that looked prideful, even in his sleep. He appeared to be very strong and capable, and he wore, like his wife, an amulet that matched the one Zelda had about her own neck, which she'd reached to unconsciously while she stared at them both.

Despite their peaceful looks, their serene faces, and how beautiful or handsome she thought they were, it did not change the degradation that they could have been statues used for nothing more than decor, as if stuffed animals on a hunter's wall.

While Zelda had the thought, Ganondorf spoke behind her, his voice cutting through the upset she felt over seeing them like this and directly to her anger. "And so you've now met your parents, Hadinaru and Nissandra. Dragmire had them placed inside of protective crystals that would maintain their lives considering they cannot eat while in slumber. And an oddity over the situation, since I assume you'll wish me to do so soon now, is that I cannot reverse the slumber they've been placed in. Only a power opposite of the Dark Power that induced their sleep can rouse them to consciousness once again."

Zelda's eyes glistened with unshed tears, and her fists balled. Looking back at Ganondorf, she asked, "Then I need Myriad's power to awaken them?"

"Yes," Ganondorf replied simply, stepping toward her. As he approached her side, looking up at the both of them quietly in consideration, he added, "Of course, you do realize that you didn't follow my bargain completely."

"What?" She asked, snapping around quickly to face him, so swiftly that her skirts swung about to fall back into place around her legs only after she'd turned. "I came within the allotted time. How is this not following the bargain?"

Smirking, Ganondorf told her, "I instructed you," he stopped and then looked down at her, "to come directly to me. But you stopped and awoke the Spirit Guardians. Only a Sage can do that, only the Seventh Sage," he added pointedly, "so you _have_ breeched our contract."

Ganondorf, still holding her gaze, began to lift his hand and a dark power festered against his palm, growing in strength. Zelda gasped, her eyes going wide, and she moved toward him to try to stop him, but she found a tight fist grasping her throat. Cringing as his fist cut off her air supply, she found her feet leaving the ground while she was lifted into the air with ease, all while he continued to threaten her parents lives with his dark magic. In response and unknowing what she could do to stop this, Zelda tried to teleport away from him, but found no such luck against his power holding her into place.

"Don't exhaust yourself, my lady," he spoked plainly to her. "There is a way to prevent this from happening, and I need you to stay strong for what's to come."

Zelda gripped his hand tightly through his words, trying to gasp in her breath, unable to do anything but listen when he added, "Since I have your attention now, will you listen to my terms?"

She got out a nod somehow through the fist clutching her so tightly, and when she did, he lowered her to the floor again and released her throat, then settled his opposite arm slowly back down at his side, smirking over at her. Zelda rubbed her throat and coughed, trying to gather her lost breath, and as she did, Ganondorf waited for her to recover before he continued.

Once she was breathing more evenly, he started, "You have brought to me that which I asked for, and in doing so, I cannot just take their lives, but that breech in contract needs to be amended. In order to allow you to get away with the awakening of the Spirit Guardians as you wanted, I have to gain something in return which _I_ want, this is only fair."

"What's fair?," Zelda asked before she coughed softly and finally stood up straight, unable to help herself from sounding vindictive as she spoke. "What more do you want from me?"

Ganondorf smirked, turning and heading toward her. When he did, she backed up without the wish for him to draw in any closer, making her wonder what he would be asking her to do more thoroughly while she tried to keep the space between them. As if she'd actually asked him the question aloud, he started, "You will aide me by summoning the powers of the Sages I no longer have the capability to draw upon."

Staring up at him, Zelda felt the wall closing in behind her when she bumped against it, and she watched him leaning a hand above her, her brows narrowed in both anger and fear over what he might try to do to her or her parents if she refused. "In order to do what?," came her lowly asked question.

"That," he started, "is a good question, for it concerns you and that upstanding young Hylian you've been running around with. But for now, I'll take your spoken agreement before I show you more."

The words hit a sensitive nerve somewhere within her that said she knew that, though she didn't have a choice, she wouldn't like agreeing to use the Sage Powers to aide him, but she gave a nod anyway, replying, "If it will keep my parents safe, then I will use the powers to aide you."

The smile on his face was twisted and cruel when she agreed, and having done so, Ganondorf grabbed her arm and jerked her away from the wall. The sudden movement made her gasp as he began tugging her along behind him after he turned around, his grip like steel closing about her appendage. Zelda cringed over the pain it drew through her, knew he was bruising her, grasping his wrist with a sneer on her face and struggling to catch up with him to keep from being jerked about.

He took her toward a light that was settled on the floor between the King and Queen's resting spot, obviously a portal of some type, but to where, she had no clue. Unable to break the grasp he had on her arm, and she stepped onto the portal with him.

Only a moment afterwards, the room seemed to shimmer away around them with the light encompassing their forms, and when their vision refocused as they were transported, Zelda found them both standing on a platform with no walls to bar her view of Hyrule's lands in the distance, the platform itself seeming to be settled at the back of the Palace atop a high tower.

The wind whipped over her, gusting up through her hair and against the skirt of her gown, and at such a height as they now stood, the lightening in the brownish black clouds almost seemed as if it might have been able to touch them, close now, following low bursts of turbulent thunder. Zelda looked down and away from them however and into the field of Hyrule, Death Mountain visible, looking small from where they were, but her vision settled on the minions of Jackal Knights standing outside of the Palace Yards where she had first entered.

They looked tiny from where she stood now, like ants almost, lined up perfectly outside of the Palace Gates, awaiting attack. She could only think of Link and all of her friends when she saw them, wondering how they would ever be able to manage to defend themselves against such an army, and turning her head away in order to look down, she noticed a final curiosity.

Upon the large platform on which she now stood was etched an elaborate pattern of the Triforce, the three halves not gold as it was usually represented, however colored in red at the top, blue on the bottom left, and green on the bottom right. It somehow seemed very peculiar to her, and she looked over at the Evil King who'd brought her up there.

"What is this?" She asked him quietly.

Ganondorf, releasing her arm finally, stepped away from her and toward the sight of the armies lined up before them far below. As he did, the wind gusting through the cape attached to his shoulders, he started, "It's a platform my father had constructed which I oversaw the finishing of. It was created using the powers of the Sacred Realm he'd summoned so long ago, and was meant to bind the three pieces of the Triforce back into one, merging them, in order to open the Portal to the Sacred Realm once more."

He grew silent for a moment, turning back to face her before he continued, "He wanted to possess all three pieces, had searched for a way to do so for years when I was still a child under the belief that your parents were mine. His studies led him to find that, if there were three possessors present with a common goal, the Triforce halves would rise up in them and assemble once more, to grant those users all that they wanted in common before it would break away again."

Listening to him, Zelda let her eyes roam back down to the surface on which they stood and the symbols that were etched upon it, and she considered it. Three with a common goal? As her thoughts wandered over it, she spoke softly, "We all have the desire to release Myriad from her prison. This is how you're going to reopen the realm, and you need the powers of the Sages to complete the task."

The words drew a smile to the Evil King's face. "The Triforce of Wisdom indeed," he began, "and you are right. The pieces are all in place. All we await is Link's arrival here. With his piece of the relic, the portal to the Sacred Realm will reopen, and Myriad's power will be accessible once again, the last I need to possess before I will become the master of both realms."

Zelda turned her gaze toward Ganondorf after he explained this, her violet eyes glinting with disgust over his lust for power and disregard for and need another may have, her fists balling in anger at the thought that he might be the master of anything but evil itself, and she shook her head, "Myriad won't just hand her power over to you."

He seemed amused by those words, heading toward Zelda and lowering his head just a bit, his words low and meaningful as he countered, "Myriad won't be able to stand up to the Triforce. She'll have no choice."

Somehow, Zelda knew that he was right. All he needed now was Link to arrive. Taking in her breath, she looked out over the scenery below, wondering how this would all play out. After all, an assembled Triforce would have no opposition. No one would be able to stop the three of them once it was set into motion, and with their common cause in mind, Zelda could only wonder what would become of Myriad. Did the Sage of Light have any premonition that this type of event was coming to her?

Looking up, Zelda quietly watched the fields again. In those moments, she thought about Link. Ganondorf didn't know it, but Link already had that goal of releasing Myriad because she was his mother. Now she too had the desire for she wanted to see her parents awakened. It was in that moment which she realized the truth of everything.

"You wouldn't have ever killed my parents to begin with, would you?"

She was, indeed, a quick study. Ganondorf's malicious laugh drove a pain into her that snapped Zelda's resolve, all of the anguish she'd suffered in worrying over their lives being safely in tact just to realize that he needed them alive in order to keep her under his thumb, and her fists glowed as she turned to attack him, but found her power reflected back toward her by the barrier Ganondorf unfolded when he raised his fist to stop her.

The blast of magic knocked her backwards, and she fell onto her side with a cringe of pain. Taking in a shaky breath, his shadow coming to loom over her as he stepped in more closely, she slowly turned her eyes and then her face to look up at him. Once he reached her, he leaned in and gripped the amulet around her throat, breaking it off without any trouble whatsoever, ignoring her gasp and quick reach for the jewelry by backhanding her and sending her back to the floor, her hair flying over her face.

"You're right, _Princess_," he began as he stood back up straight with the amulet in hand, "I needed them alive in order to make you behave, but even still, I somehow get the feeling you would have wanted this anyway, just for the opportunity to free Myriad from her prison. So don't think you'll be allowed to continue with this type of defiance, because it is nothing to me to head back to their chamber with murderous intent."

Zelda balled a fist, her lips pursed together tightly, and she looked back at him, saw him crumbling her most valued material possession in his fist, watching the pieces of it falling to the platform next to her. It was a silent message, words to tell her that her life, her position, meant nothing.

Zelda stared at the pieces for several long moments as he walked away from her. She thought back to being a child and gifting Link with the amulet the evening she thought he'd fallen to his death, remembered seeing him wearing it when he arrived before he returned it to her once more, and the symbolic nature of all that necklace had meant to her laying in pieces before her now hit her like a stampede of wild horses. Reaching out, she picked up the blue gem that had been embedded into the silver metal, and she folded her fingers around it. Pushing herself up from where she'd fallen, tightening her grip on the gem, she gaze her gaze at Ganondorf and then proceeded to tell him the truth of his intentions.

"You can ruin as many lives as you wish, King of Evil, but when you do, you'll have nothing and no one to rule over, unless a crown of death is what suits you. I will keep my end of the bargain, but my efforts will gain you nothing more in the end than a pedestal atop which will be an empty space representing all that you have."

Ganondorf didn't bother to look at her when she spoke, his lips curling up simply, black eyes glancing to the side. "Colorful words indeed, but we shall see, my lady. Until then, take your place upon the platform, and I will come to visit once it is time to commence."

Zelda looked to the side, her gaze downcast, and when it did, seeing that she was currently standing on the green triangle, her eyes followed a path toward the blue across from her. Turning her eyes slowly to his form again, she stepped toward it and slowly placed both of her booted feet upon it in the center. While she stood there, and the wind whipped over her, watching her enemy in the center of all three, she felt an urging from the magic that had created the pedestal, and a weariness fell over her body.

Her fingers relaxed their hold and the blue gem of her necklace went falling downwards, landing with a clink next to her skirts before it bounced away from her completely. Her eyes closed, and she felt a power rising from within her, causing all of her emotions to fade away, nothing there but complete and pure logic, the sense to understand and the intellect to absorb any information presented to her controlling her every whim and desire.

Finally, her eyes opened again, and their color was completely white, her stance casual, unmoving. Ganondorf looked over to see her there, quietly smiling, knowing he would be joining her soon now. Avoiding the red triangle at the top of the emblem, he disappeared from sight. Before this could come to an end, he had to allow the third piece to come to him.

But not without wearing him down a good bit first.


	65. Distraction

_Chapter 64 - Distraction_

The doors at the top of the outpost near the teleportation stone were pushed open and Link stepped up to the top in the snow whipping about through his hair and over his body. Behind him, Impa also emerged, and they drew their horses up one by one behind them. Others were heading up with them, as Impa had enough ability to teleport a few at a time before she herself left. She was going to transport Link first, along with his father, Arden, and Tenio, just incase there were enemies watching the area that the more inexperienced fighters with them might not have been able to contend with without the help of a seasoned warrior.

Link, as he stood at the stone and waited, somehow felt a type of finality to what he was doing as his body was teleported up with the others, shimmering out of site completely and through the air, as if this was all the point of no return. Whatever happened from here on out would shape the future of the Kingdom into what it was finally destined to become. His expression had been somber ever since their victory in the gorge, and he hadn't said much to anyone, but the seriousness in his blue eyes told the entire tale. He was ready to push on, and no one could blame him, nor stand in his way.

He had the support of everyone in the revolt, and with those thoughts in mind, he formed back into being with his father and friends in the grove of trees near the open fields of Hyrule, his horse's reigns in his hand. Once this happened, Link immediately looked about for signs of danger that needed to be taken care of before others could arrive and be put under attack as well.

It was quiet however within the grove of dead trees, and Link glanced toward his father. Lyonel was taking in a breath through his nose, a breath that Arden shared, speaking on a low, deep voice that was full of certainty and experience, "I can smell the battlefield from here."

"So can I," Lyonel replied, and they took the reigns of their horses and moved away from the stone in order to allow their comrades to arrive. Turning to mount their steeds, Link looked back when he heard the second group teleporting over, and he flagged them toward to the area in which they were standing. As they began to move, Link looked back at Lyonel, a question in his mind.

"Should I ride on ahead and find out what lies before us so I can come back to tell you?"

Lyonel gave a nod, looking back at his son before replying, "Go ahead, but be careful. We don't want to give up our position just yet."

Nodding, Link turned and began riding away on Epona's back, the brown horse carrying him through the barren trees under the daytime sky turned night because of the thick clouds looming over them. As he moved, his thoughts went to the revolt members, the Goron who would be aiding them from the west, Kioson awaiting the signal that the battle would begin as they hid in the forests north of the Temple of Light, and the fact that the Zora would be arriving through the waterways with stealth on their side as the Sages had communed with Esair in order to request aide if it was needed.

Before they left, the people not going into battle had been shaken. Many members of the revolt were leaving loved ones in the outpost, including Link's newfound friend Tenio. Link had been surprised to see Jada actually kissing him before he left, giving the Hylian a hug that said she'd feared for his safety. He was extremely happy for that however, knowing of the young woman's tortured past, and hoped that it was just the start of more good things to come, battle to be fought or no.

Kiama and Alia both tried to comfort her when Tenio had to leave with the words that he would be as careful as possible, and it was just one of many scenes of loved ones parting from one another that reminded everyone around them of what could happen in the very near future now. Because of thoughts like this, Link was extremely careful to keep quiet of any potential threats that would uncover their position too soon. He had no wish to ruin anything for anyone.

His thoughts settled on the present with that effort in mind, riding Epona up a hillside, and coming to a quiet stop at the top of it, seeing how the trees thinned out before him down the hill. It gave him a good bit of cover, but also allowed him to see the field that led toward the Palace Walls very easily, and he gazed over it all. Lined up in neat rows before those towering structures stood Jackal Knights that were standing sentry, ready to make their march on Hyrule and destroy everything in their path. This was what Arden and Lyonel had spoken of when they'd arrived, the battlefield where their struggle awaited them under a sky of turbulent clouds.

Link's brows narrowed, taking in his breath. It wouldn't be easy for him to enter the Palace with so many of them standing in the way, but more importantly, the wouldn't be easy to win the fight because of their numbers. He was ready to turn and head back to the others and let them know what he'd seen when he heard Arden's voice and glanced over to see him riding with Tenio. "I'm guessing you found them if you're staring like that."

As they came to the top of the hill and looked down with Link, out over the scene ahead of them, Tenio let a sigh and Arden continued, "Yeah, you found them alright. Just like we'd thought."

Link nodded in response to Arden's comment, asking him in response, "Do you think they'll roll out a red carpet and let me pass through?"

He heard Arden's snort of amusement, glancing over to see Tenio grinning also before the silver haired Hylian waved a hand and suggested, "I'll just distract them all with my blinding beauty. It's a beauty Arden can attest to, hence the blindfold."

The words made Link grin and Arden start chuckling softly as to not become too loud. They all needed the humor since anxiety was running as thick as blood in those moments, and neither of them would complain for the short lived relief. Before more could be said, however, Arden added to the comment, "We'll just have to open a path for you, Link. After all, we don't want your lady love waiting for too terribly long. Believe me, it's cold in that Palace."

Link looked up at the towering structure, partially hidden by the walls that surrounded it, and he lifted a brow, telling Arden, "I don't doubt it."

With those words spoken, they heard shuffling behind them and they looked back from the hill they were settled atop as more members of the group headed up toward them, Lyonel and Impa. Impa's presence told them that everyone had been transported and were probably waiting back in the grove, and neither said a word to the two of them while they came to a stop to assess the situation for themselves.

Lyonel, in seeing the sight, sighed out his breath over it, but didn't make any verbal comment about what he was seeing. Instead, he opted to inform the three that had left before himself and Impa, "They've all been teleported and are waiting back in the grove preparing. We have the cover of trees for now, so we can use it in wait of Impa to regain some of her magical ability. This is working out well for us."

With a nod, Link glanced over and asked Impa, "Was the teleportation draining?"

"Not completely, it won't be too long before I'm able to move again in that arena." Impa replied to him, having tied a satchel shut on her horses back after pulling an item from it which she tossed to Link. Link reached out and caught it without much effort, then looked into his hand. It was a scroll, and unraveling it, he saw a map on the paper. As he looked it over, Impa sat upon her horse and told him, "That's a map of the Palace. It should be accurate enough to help you."

With a nod, Link rolled the paper back up while he informed her, "I'll keep it handy. Thank you, Impa."

"You're most welcome," she returned, then looked in the direction of the Palace.

As she did, they all got quiet for a moment, considering their next task at hand. "We have the element of surprise on our side," Tenio said after the moment of silence between them all. "I doubt they'll expect anyone to attack them outright. Especially not with their massive numbers lined up as they are. They're more than likely expecting to march on Hyrule, not stand and fight. Not to mention, this will make it harder for Link to get inside of the Palace safely."

"I was just thinking of that," Link responded, "and I was also thinking that I have and idea as well."

They glanced over at Link and watched as the young Hylian thought it over, then suddenly smirked while still looking over the battlefield that the land would soon be turned into, saying, "I _do_ have an idea, the perfect distraction. They'll never see you coming until it's too late, and I'll be inside of the Palace while the fight ensues."

Lyonel lifted a brow, unable to help but curiously ask, "What would that be?"

---

Growling and snarling was heard amongst the numbers of Jackal Knights standing before the walls of the Palace a short while later. Their lines led away from the walls for more than a hundred yards, some of the knights leaving the Palace Gates on horses. One of their riders was moving to the front between a path they'd formed which led directly back between their leagues to the drawbridge, his horse coming to a stop near the front ranks. As he settled there, his ears twitched a bit, and he turned his head, taking in a deep breath through his nose, catching a scent that didn't belong to their own. His red eyes leered ahead while he trotted slowly forth and then let a few barked, groveled sounds from his throat, catching the attention of some of the knights near him.

They all looked up with confusion on their faces, a line of drool slobbered from one of their mouths when they opened their maul, snapping and falling to the grass with a disgusting splatter. Horses hooves were heard, and the one on horseback held up a fist, claws grasped around the hilt of a battle axe he held, and when the knights near him saw the movement, they all grew silent, listening as the sound of the horse galloping grew louder before coming to a stop completely. In turn, they could hear the horse snorting air through its nose, followed by a soft whinny, but could see no horse in sight, nor any riders near them.

Lyonel, settled atop the hill in the immediate distance after he had gone with Link to gather their members and bring them back, slightly closer now than he had been before when they'd developed their plan, but still hidden within the trees, looked over at Impa and asked, "Do you think this is that good of an idea?"

Impa lifted a brow, able to see Link along with Lyonel as he'd ridden out under the spell of her shadows to be hidden from their sight until he'd reached them, standing before the beasts now. "I think that, at the time, any idea is a good idea."

With a considerate nod, Lyonel looked ahead again where his son stood as if to face down the entire army alone, under the invisibility of shadows currently still, and Nissa, sitting on Lyonel's shoulder, said, "He'll make it through, I'll bet three red rupees!"

Arden grinned, "I'll take that bet, who's in?"

Lyonel smirked over the comment, then took up his reigns when Impa informed them, "He's appearing."

Before the lines of Jackal Knights, Epona's body began to shimmer into view, Link upon her back, finally visible to the beasts who'd heard them but hadn't seen them just a moment beforehand. With the heroic hylian visible now, the first knight who had been riding upon the horse made a loud snarled bark and held his arm out forward as if to alert the others, and Link pulled the Master Sword from his back when this happened.

"Steady girl," he whispered to his horse, watching the confused faces of the Jackals he was staring down, standing a good one hundred yards out from the Zora River where the drawbridge that led into the Palace Yards was located, planning to ride down the path between them all to make it inside, and it didn't take long, just as he'd thought, especially once he'd drawn the Master Sword, for the massive amounts of enemies he stood before to collect themselves and let loud growls in preparation for attacking him.

When they did, Link held up his blade toward the sky and made a loud battle cry, which was the signal he'd said he'd give before Nissa was to respond. Epona reared up onto her hind legs with the sound he bellowed from his lungs, and his blade began to glow brightly with a very pure aura. The Sword of Evil's bane glinted that aura down toward the evil before it as Link took off into a heavy gallop to head down between the lines just as the Jackals were about to move in themselves.

Those close to him were blinded by the pure light of his blade and couldn't look upon it for too long, which waylaid their attacks, allowing him to pass them easily, and Nissa had already flown into the air in response to his charging cry. When she did, at a good elevation in the air where none of their enemies noticed her or the ones she rode with, she evoked her power as a sage and channeled it out toward the Hylian riding dangerously through the armies now. Around him illuminated an electrified shielding that would charge into any whom managed to see through the blinding light of his sword and get too close for comfort.

In turn, Link took swipes whenever he got them, able to take the heads of one or two of the knights before a burst of lightening from his magical shielding knocked them backwards and into the lines without mercy. As he rode surely down his path, mud and grass flying from beneath Epona's horse, the light of his blade grew strong enough to block out a proper visual of his visage almost completely.

"They're turning with him, no longer facing us," Lyonel said, looking over at Nabooru whom sat at his opposite side from Impa, "give the signal so the Goron will know the time to attack is now."

With a nod of her head, Nabooru released the reigns of the horse she was settled on, and lifted her hands while they began to glow, a burst of red light shooting forth into the sky, flying high toward the clouds before it exploded brightly, crackling like fireworks. A good distance away, the Goron, who had already come down from Death Mountain and had been awaiting that very signal, stood within the protection of trees a good ways north of the Temple of Light.

The alert was easily spotted against the dark clouds filling the sky from across the field, and Kioson, in his battle gear, standing tall and ready, lifted his arm and let a loud cry of battle.

Behind him, several of the large golem-like creatures emerged, some wielding large broadswords, others with maces, and most were wearing little armor due to their rock like bodies being hard to damage to begin with, though many of them had helmets, pauldrons, and cuffs with spikes sticking out of them.

The earth began to pound beneath their feet as they charged over the hillside, and seeing them from his vantage point, Lyonel made a call of his own, yelling the words, "_To arms!_" Hitting the hind flanks of his horse to take off, Arden and several others following suit, letting loud cries of their own.

Some of the attention was taken off of Link when the sound was heard, and the Jackal Knights whom hadn't been temporarily blinded looked back, surprised to see the forces of humans, Hylians, and Goron alike heading toward them now. Link stayed straight on his path as his friends headed in behind him, finally reaching the drawbridge, which just began to rise up in its center as Epona planted her hooves into the metal the bridge was made of and gracefully leapt toward the other half of it before it could raise up too high.

Once of the Jackals was kicked by her hind legs when she jumped, and coming down toward the ground on the opposite side of the bridge, Link kept riding forward, kicking his legs into Epona's flanks and taking off through the gates just before they could close on the both of them.

Having made it safely, still able to hear the cries in the distance from the other side of the wall as the battle began, Link drew Epona's reigns to a halt to make her stop in her hard gallop, and held on until she was no longer rearing back from the exertion he'd just put her through. "Steady girl, we made it," he said softly in order to soothe the animal.

Taking a deep breath of his own, Link looked back to the now closed gates as he harnessed his sword onto his back, and in that moment heard yelps from above. Looking up to the top of the walls where the sound had come from, narrowing his brows, he quickly grabbed his bow and notched an arrow, sending it flying toward a few lookouts settled above him, one of them falling to the ground when his arrow pierced its skull.

Taking them out one by one before they could cause him any harm or do anyone else any damage, Link glanced about for any other threats to his person, and finally realized he was essentially in the clear for the time being, so he turned Epona and rode further up the path behind the gates.

Coming into the Palace Yards, seeing the desolate scenery surrounding him of what he knew had to be once lively greenery, in place of which now dying trees resided and yellow grasses covered the grounds, he slowed his animal to a stop. Up the path ahead of him were large doors that lead into the courtyards of the Palace, and standing outside of them, about ten feet away was a horse, which happened to be Frost.

Frost had no rider, but he also didn't look any worse for the wear, and approaching him, Link glanced up at the structure of the Palace raising toward the sky before himself. Zelda was definitely in there, somewhere amidst the floors and levels that possessed who knew what kinds of dangers, and dismounting his horse, Link took Epona's reigns and rubbed her nose, saying, "Stay here with Frost, we'll both be back for you later."

Epona snorted, making Link smile, and the Hylian looked over at Frost patted his nose also, then turned and began to head toward the gates that lead into the courtyard. They were settled in a second wall, though no where near as tall as those that encompassed the Yards themselves. Two short, dead trees stood on either side of that gate, and rounding them in order to enter the Palace Courtyards, he came to a slow stop when he saw a shadow moving slowly. Glancing up, Link saw a large knight with a battle axe slowly stepping toward him from the other side of the open gate. It reminded him of the Iron Knuckle that he'd seen in the Temple of Spirit, black armor and closed helmet adorning his body, and Link drew his blade and stepped back as he was approached.

Coming toward the Hylian, the knight raised its battle axe slowly. While he did, Link noticed a lever on the opposite side of the gate behind him. He looked from the device and back to the knight who started bringing his axe down toward him, and when he did, Link dove to the side and then sprinted forward, running swiftly behind his enemy and through the gates to grab the lever and pull it. In doing so, the gates fell down and closed the Iron Knuckle out completely while the slow moving opponent turned around in order to spot his enemy once again.

"Powerful but slow," Link smirked out, dusting his hands off with a good bit of pride streaking through him over his cleverness as he turned around and came to a slow stop. He stopped and cleared his throat because he noticed yet another shadow. A shadow which encompassed him. Blinking and pursing his lips, he finally looked up, way up, a good twenty feet up, and at the drooling face of a large, red eyed Jackal wearing a mask and dressed in executioners clothing, whom had an equally large mallet with spokes along the flat side of the weapon in his hands. A weapon which he'd already raised into the air.

"Shit."

Link barely had the time to jump back when the mallet came down onto his position after he muttered the expletive, and he guessed he'd jumped from the pot and into the fire, even now able to hear the Iron Knuckle outside of the gate hacking away at it with his axe.

Pulling out his sword and shield, Link headed toward the large Jackal and ran between his legs, turning and slicing his sword into the beasts leg since he was too big to move very quickly. The hit made the Jackal growl and turn, swinging his mallet to the side and across the ground with a deadly force. As the weapon passed Link's position, the Jackal lifted his arm again, no longer seeing Link, and with a somewhat confused expression, he turned his Mallet up to see if the Hylian was stuck to the spokes, his red eyes gleaming when he saw nothing there.

That's when a hand tugged on his ear, and the Jackal turned his masked face, seeing Link on his shoulder just before the Master Sword was wedged into his eye.

The Jackal let a loud howl of pain, his body jolting, and Link jumped down with the shoulder he'd been standing on no longer steady now, landing on the arm that his opponent carried the mallet in. Lifting his weapon, he stabbed his blade down into the creatures hand. The result was a swing of the appendage he'd just wounded which the Jackal jerked because of the pain he'd felt, and Link leapt down to the floor of the courtyard, grabbing his bow from his back.

"Let's see how well these work," he muttered to himself as he notched an arrow. In doing so, the tip of the weapon began to glow a white color, and with the head of the distracted executioner in his sights, Link let the Light Arrow lose, flying through the air with a shimmering of energy behind it when it slammed into its target. The powers consumed the enemy in a burst of light, harming it mortally, and Link smirked as his enemy began to fall over.

"Either these are actually very powerful, or you're a wimp," he snorted, turning around to face the front of the courtyard as the gate of the entrance fell behind him due to the Iron Knuckle's axe, the knight heading slowly into the fray once again. Coming toward Link, he was suddenly stopped when the torso of the fallen Jackal fell down onto him, and then the mallet he'd been wielding slammed into the executioners back, only adding to the force, and Link lifted a brow at the sound behind him, only to shrug it off when everything got quiet and walk forward.

A blackened Myriad stone stood at the foot of a set of ornate stairs between three doorways, one of which settled at the top of those stairs, the steps themselves of which raised up toward a landing that had a large, currently non working fountain on it, followed by a second a set of stairs that reached a column lined catwalk above to the door at the top. The other two doors were at opposing walls on the bottom level of the courtyard, and Link took in a breath and decided to look at the map to figure out which way he needed to go.

Tugging the scroll from his hammer bag, he saw that the door at the top of the steps led into a corridor that looked to be a pathway to what was apparently a large chamber, possibly a throne room, so he decided that it was probably the path he needed to take. After all, where would you find the King of Evil, or even a Princess? Throne Room was the logical answer, and trying to keep this as simple as possible, he started heading up the stairs.

Heading past the blackened Myriad Stone and up a few of the steps to the landing near the fountain, Link came to a stop when he heard a soft yet pronounced laughter, looking up quickly to sight his enemy standing at the top of the steps on the catwalk just in front of the door he'd chosen to pass through.

"Ganondorf!," he sneered out, and watched the King of Evil slowly stepping down the stairs and toward him. Staying completely wary while the King moved toward him, but stopped short of completely descending the steps, Link demanded, "What did you do with Zelda?"

Smirking, looking down at the Hylian through a narrowed gaze, Ganondorf simply gave Link a snort as if to say he might have been pathetic in his eyes so the question raised bore no weight. But he gave an answer anyway with an idle wave of his hand, "I put her where she needed to be. As for you, you'll soon join her. So don't worry about trying to find out what I've done with her. I fully intend for you to see for yourself when the time comes."

Narrowing his brows, Link somehow knew that whatever Ganondorf had planned wasn't going to be particularly enjoyable, and with the notion in mind, he drew his sword and shield, ready to battle this false king for a second time if that was what it took now. In seeing this, Ganondorf formed a slow smile on his face. "So ready to fight me are you? I fear, however, that now is not the right time."

"Anytime is the right time," Link responded, "As long as you're out of the picture, I don't care what the hour might be."

Ganondorf's wicked expression was nothing short of mocking in response to the statement, and Link listened to the words he returned to him over it. "Perhaps you are right. Any chance to take down your enemy is a good time."

With those words, Ganondorf threw his cape to the side and released a barrage of dark magic down onto Link swiftly. Link reacted without thought, and as they neared, he countered with his blade, swiping the orbs of energy back toward the Evil King with one strike, rolling to the side to avoid others in his path, but one hit him anyway. Link felt a horrendous pain shooting up through his body as he was knocked to the side and down a few steps behind himself.

But the move he'd performed had been the same sort of move he'd accomplished the first time they had done battle in the ruins of Engleton, but Ganondorf had managed to evade it that time so many weeks ago now. This time however was different. The once dark, now light orb of energy after it had been hit by the Master Sword, slammed into him ruthlessly, causing him to grimace in response to the pain, and like his enemy, stumble to the side.

Things got quiet for a moment while Link tried to recover from the blast that had hit him before he could properly evade it, shaking his head and looking up. When he did, he heard an angry growl coming from Ganondorf, followed by words of interrogation.

"That is _not_ the power of your blade," the Evil King sneered, standing up slowly and looking down in disdain at his enemy. _How_ did this Hylian have that type of power? Surely the Master Sword could reflect the dark energy he'd projected at Link, but to convert it to an opposite type of power altogether took another type of ability altogether, and it was with these thoughts that Ganondorf continued his words after standing back up to his full height as Link was also doing now. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you'd already released Myriad from her prison and took some of her magic for your own."

With a deep breath taken, Link turned a serious expression back toward the master of darkness before him, knowing it was the power Myriad had granted him with at birth which Ganondorf now spoke of. But Link definitely wasn't going to tell him that, replying instead, "I don't know what you're talking about. If it hurt, then it hurt. You'll just have to deal with the fact that I'm not as weak as you wish I were."

Silence ensued the comment between them, and Link just waited for him to reply. As that silence drew out and they regarded one another, Ganondorf finally sneered with a scoff of breath, then he stepped back quietly. "Simply continue on your way if you wouldn't mind. After all, I'm sure the Princess is longing to see her friend again."

With those words, Ganondorf phased out of sight, leaving Link to his journey through the dungeon left to him now. A short breath sighed from his nose in response to this, Link lowered his arms and groaned lowly. Beginning to head up the steps again, he couldn't help but mutter out the words after Ganondorf's sarcastically spoken line, "I'm sure she is, and I'm _sure_ you'll make it easy for me to find her."


	66. Dark Palace I

_Chapter 65 - Dark Palace I_

Just as Link had thought, things were _not_ easy.

It was one thing to have a Temple to go through that had sets of specific types of traps and enemies, but when you had what seemed to be a little of everything waiting around the corners, that was a bit ridiculous. Of course, the problems he had navigating were tremendously helped by the map Impa had given him, though his progress was slowed by the fact that Ganondorf apparently favored Iron Knuckles among any of his minions outside of the Jackal Knights.

In the dungeon, skeletons of the dead rose up to attack the way they might have in life, and Link had to fight those off. Stalfos weren't the only thing in the dungeons though, which was also occupied with what seemed to be hauntings, echoes of the screams uttered by the doomed and tortured there who had died so long ago, innocent lives taken for no reason but the whims of a man who harbored no real human soul anymore, no capacity for mercy or kindness.

The visions he saw sometimes distracted him as well, arms he thought he saw reaching out of prison bars for him that weren't actually there, shadows moving when nothing was about to cast it. The evil that festered within the Dark Palace was trying indirectly with those types of tactics to stop him just as it was with the attacks of Stalfos and Iron Knuckles. But Link had to push through no matter how twisted something may have seemed to him, though one vision almost got the best of him. It was a guillotine that had been settled in one of the torture chambers for years now, dried blood on the now dull, rusty blade that had once been used to sever so many people's heads. But he heard a familiar voice when he'd entered the chamber, and after which, saw her standing there, a vision of Alma, the woman who'd taken him in so long ago now.

She only stood there for a moment though before her head tumbled off of her shoulders and her body fell to the floor, the cranium rolling toward his feet.

Link felt ill when he'd seen that, looking away, now knowing exactly what had happened to her when they'd never gotten a positive story. When he'd looked again, the sight was gone, and he had to take a moment to gather himself instead of just getting out of the room as quickly as possible, knowing that such a move could cause him to run head first into trouble. But it was with that vision that he figured invoking the sight of truth he'd gained in the Temple of Water was a pretty good idea. Maybe then he wouldn't see so many horrendous images.

Between this, the powerful enemies he was pitted against, and the corridors which seemed to have become somehow twisted backwards whenever he would head through them a second time with the evil of the building he was traversing coming into play, he almost wished he were back at the Temple of Spirit, or anywhere else but here.

Though it seemed to take forever, he finally came across a set of double doors, ornate markings etched around two Triforce's on each of their surfaces, the knobs in the shape of the head of a boar, split down the center where the door would open, made out of gold. Reaching for the knob, Link pushed it open and stepped inside quietly. According to his map, this should have been the throne room, and he could tell from the decoration upon the door alone that he was completely right.

The throne room's granite walls rose around him as he stepped inside of the silent chamber. The column lined room was decorated with murals across the domed sections of the ceiling and a single red carpet rolled across the floor and up a set of steps to the large chair itself. Suits of armor decorated some of the spaces between columns which Link expected to come to life at any moment and attack him as several others had before now.

Instead though, they remained standing as still as the inanimate objects they were supposed to be. But this did not prevent a sudden loss of light as Link stepped toward the center of the room from darkening the area tremendously. The darkness was pitch black to an extent that even the lit candelabra's on the walls couldn't penetrate it, and Link gripped the hilt of his blade more tightly and came to a stop in his steps when he thought he heard a low groan of what he could only make out as exhausted effort, the sound eery and unnerving, though Link did not find fear in the face of the new, unknown element, standing his ground courageously.

Instead, he remained calm and invoked the sight of truth he'd been using, his blue eyes glowing in the darkness. As things became clear to his eyes and the truth unfolded, he spied on the throne what looked to be blue flames forming up from the seat of the chair and taking the shape of a very old, decrepit looking man in robes of black with matching hair that was stringy in appearance as it hung around his boney face.

His fingers were long and slender, and there was a noticeable transparency in his form, obviously an apparition of some type. Link narrowed his brows and stepped back out of disgust alone when the old man's head bobbed forward with an unnatural movement, a set of black eyes opening to leer over at him. The ghastly sight was only added to in effect when the old man let a chortle of the like Link had never heard before, followed by the lowly spoken words on a groveled voice, "Myriad?"

Myriad? Link parted his lips, unsure about this completely, and he simply asked the question, "Who are you?"

"You...," the phantom continued, "you have an aura like...like she did." The apparition narrowed his eyes in scrutiny, asking more fluidly with a certain need behind his voice, "What is your name?"

"I'd rather not tell you without first knowing what or who you are," Link informed the specter, keeping his distance where he was.

The phantom got out what was a semblance of a laugh which became sputtered, and in response, told Link, "You are speaking to the Lord of all Darkness as he appeared in life, boy, just before death."

Dragmire, Link thought immediately. He was facing a phantom of the Dark Wizard himself, and in uncertainty, Link slowly shook his head. "You're the source of the dark visions haunting this place, aren't you?"

"I am...," his head fell back and then to the side as if he no longer had the strength to hold it up straight. "I am but a shadow now, imprisoned here as the rest, under the thumb of he whom was my son. But even I...," he sputtered out the words on a sickly cough, "even I have strength enough to manifest again," he rasped out, holding up his boney hand toward Link with a slow wave of his fingers, adding more softly, "and demand answer before you are allowed passage."

"Answer?," Link asked. "Answer to what? Who I am, or why you failed in everything you tried to achieve in life and was then murdered at the hands of your own son?"

The words seemed to enrage the phantom, and Link's guard went up when a burst of blue flame tried to encompass the area in which he'd stood, forcing him to jump to the side. As Link landed and stood back up straight, he noticed blue flames emerging from the burst, coming toward him, and using his sword, he hit the blade against them to propel them toward the evil spirit thwarting him now.

The flames slammed into the ghost's body, causing him to make an eery cry in response, and Link turned to face the pale skinned apparition. He couldn't help realizing that this spirit was only able to manifest at all because of the evil powers lurking in the corridors and chambers of the Palace in which he stood, and that Dragmire's own spirit must have simply festered throughout his life so much that even in death he was restless and couldn't find peace. The apparent truth behind his death though, while despicable, didn't surprise the Hylian one bit, knowing that Ganondorf was more than capable of such an atrocity as to kill his own parent.

Now Dragmire's spirit was settled in the Palace, apparently feeding the types of visions Link had been seeing throughout his stay there so far, not strong enough to attack him as he would have preferred otherwise his attempts would have more than likely been much stronger, but too restless from the events of his life to simply leave well enough alone. Perhaps it had been the aura Myriad's power gave off in Link that made him finally manifest now in order to demand the truth, try to attack when he didn't get the answers he sought, but Link wasn't going to allow this ghost to block his path from his goals, no matter what he wanted.

When the apparition didn't reply to his questions, Link went on, approaching the ghost upon the throne slowly, "Answer for your continued suffering now? Or was it an answer toward why you're still lingering here waiting for a justification? Because I can't answer any of that. Maybe you deserve it, to be left to an afterlife of unanswered questions and torment, but that's not up to me to say, no matter how much I think the circumstances are fitting."

Link had to dodge another barrage of blue fire cast at him, his words apparently angering the spirit even more, and he listened as Dragmire demanded, "You will not pass!"

Dragmire wanted answer, Link considered, before he would let anyone pass, and pushing himself forward into a roll when a much larger line of fire rose behind him, Link stopped and swung his blade against another floating flame, sending it toward the apparition once again. As the fire's hit the specter for the second time, Link didn't allow him anymore mercy, ducking the attack of another ghostly flame before hitting it with his sword in the right direction as well, sending it toward Dragmire. Another anguished cry was let, and Link turned to the landing of the steps that led up to the throne itself and looked up at the spirit looming there now with a grotesqueness about his being that was almost unmatched by anything the Hylian had seen before yet.

With the attack, Link knew what answer he could give the spirit, standing up straight before he finally informed him, "My business here is not with you, it is with your son, as your business was with my mother. Now let me pass."

Dragmire's ghost made a gasp of breath, and in an instant, even though he was thoroughly weakened and unable to perform another attack now after being hit with the flames as he had been,he threw his arm out toward Link as if to grasp him, but the phantom's hand only wavered through Link in wisps of black and blue smoke, unable to effect him whatsoever anymore.

Link didn't flinch, only stepped forward as the decrepit creature drew back slowly from him, the aura of light he could see within the Hylian blinding him.

"No," Dragmire rasped out, "no, it can't be!"

Within Link, the ghost could clearly see the aura of a Triforce half, a resolute green triangle shimmering before his vision within the aura of Light Power which marked the young Hylian as Myriad's son. Myriad had chosen not to claim a half of the Triforce for herself, yet a part of that relic had granted itself to a child he'd never known she'd had.

"Let me pass," Link ordered a second time, turning the tip of his blade up as if ready to attack were he denied.

Dragmire had slumped back against the Throne with a rasp in the face of the power of light Link carried in him which he could spy through his ghostly vision, unable to do more now than settle there, the Triforce he'd spied once Link had come closer telling him all that he'd needed to know. "You...he wants...the Triforce. This is why...you have come."

Link slowly stopped before him, looking down over the spirit of the once powerful wizard, now turned into little more than a rotting essence that had no purpose or control, was only manifested by the hatred and anger he felt in life and tormented by the inability to rest, and somehow, Link pitied him despite his atrocities. If he'd sinned, he must have been paying for those sins now, perhaps even during the final half of his life, if the way that he looked now, so sickly and weak, was how he'd lived his final years, used for his sons whims and needs for knowledge until he'd been killed after such a worthless existence.

"He told me," the spirit went on, "that once you'd brought him...what he sought...brought him the Triforce...my life would be...restored to its previous...state. I knew he would not. But I had...little choice. Aide him...or remain as the living...rotting husk I'd become."

Link knew Dragmire was speaking of Ganondorf now. Apparently, Ganondorf had lied, as Link suspected, and even his father knew they were lies. Dragmire's visage was fading away now, but he turned his lifeless, black eyes back to Link, and toward the energy of the Triforce his ghostly eyes could spy within the Hylian, and he finally let them close.

"You may pass," he drew out softly, "and in turn...seeing that you have come...I shall as well."

Link watched the spirit drifting away, the light slowly fading back into the room with the spirit's departure. He wasn't completely sure if Dragmire's words meant vengeance on his son, or to support him in his cause, but somehow, as the room began to return to its normal luminescence, Link somehow felt that whatever the spirit had meant, Dragmire may have actually, and finally, found some type of peace in knowing that fate was now at hand.

Sighing out his breath in thought over the events that had just taken place, Link couldn't help but shake his head, and when he did, he both saw his hair wavering a bit as well as felt the draft upon his face which had caused it. The draft made his brows narrow, and he looked ahead at the wall where the cool air had seemed to come from.

Behind the Throne and against the wall settled there were red velvet drapes matching the long carpet on which he stood. As he looked at them, he noticed they were wavering. The movement told Link that there was something behind the door, letting an air into the room, and he walked over to it slowly, reaching for the material after passing the large chair on which Dragmire had been settled not too long before.

Pulling the curtain back, he saw a long corridor made of dark brick with torches along the walls, gazing down it and then glancing back, wondering where the new, and apparently usually hidden, pathway led to. Only one way to find out, he said in his mind before he began walking down through the hallway with a steady observation in his eyes.

The wall he came to at the end of the chamber was marked with nothing but the Triforce, creating a seemingly dead end, and Link wondered if it meant something specific. Was this what Dragmire had meant? The spirit told him he could no pass, but his tune changed when he'd spied the Triforce that Link carried within him. With the thought in mind, Link reached up to the wall, and he placed his left hand against it.

When he did, he looked at his hand, noticing the mark on the back of his gauntlet that mirrored the one on the wall he now touched. Narrowing his brows, he got the feeling he knew what it all meant, and as he pushed, the mark on the back of his hand lit up, two of the triangles fading to leave the one on the bottom right.

The door shook slightly and began to open. As it did, Link stepped back to allow the sections to part, finding an old chamber revealed before him that had apparently fallen into disuse, a cauldron in the center and dusty books and vials lining the cabinets against the walls. There was a single light flooding into the room from an archway ahead of him on the other side of the chamber that was blue in color from what he could tell. Curiously looking about yet seeing nothing of interest in the chamber he'd just entered, he headed toward it.

Stairs led up from the archway, and he climbed them, gaining more speed until he slowed down as he neared the top, grabbing the hilt of the Master Sword on his back just incase he was attacked. As he stepped into the room beyond the stairwell, he couldn't help his stunned stare and soft gasp, his blue eyes leading up to two large gem-like spheres that were perched upon the walls, and more importantly, what was inside of them - the King and Queen of Hyrule.

The sight made Link feel both relief and anger all at once. He was angry they were actually being held here like this, but at the same time, relieved that they were, indeed, still alive. Ganondorf had apparently kept his end of the bargain, so that left one question - where was Zelda now? Sighing out his breath, he stepped toward the center of the large chamber and noticed there was a portal of light on the floor between the captive, sleeping royals that probably led up to another destination that could tell him more.

As he approached the spheres however, somehow, Link got the keenest sense that he knew how to free the trapped royals. With narrowed brows, he felt that the light power within him which his mother had gifted him with was trying to tell him to release them, as if he simply knew he had the ability, and folding his fingers into fists, he lifted his hands and looked at his palms curiously. Finally, glancing back up to the King and Queen, Link decided to try.

His desires in mind, he invoked the power held within him, his body beginning to glow softly before that light washed up and into his hands, radiating out of him and toward the two spheres with a soft pulse. Once it touched the spheres, the energy began to flare out slowly, and the magical barrier containing the two royal's began to fade away.

Link watched them closely, his eyes unable to break away from the scene as he waited in anticipation, one by one heard them taking in a breath. Link felt much better hearing it, and he waited, seeing them both topple forward from where they'd been held like statues for all of these years, falling to the floor. He managed to make himself move when this happened, and uncertain which one to go to first, he knelt down between them, asking their names to see if they would respond.

"King Hadinaru, Queen Nissandra?"

He heard a soft murmur from the queen first that sounded light and airy as if she might have been dizzy while she slowly pushed herself up. He glanced toward her first, and she inturn slowly looked over to see the young man who'd spoken her name leaning before her now, the skirts of her deep red dress pooled out over the floor and her legs. Her golden blonde hair flowed freely about her shoulders with the same wave to it that her daughter had, and the color was making its way back into her cheeks from the paleness of being kept in a slumber within the magical sphere for so long. Seeing her glancing a pair of sapphire eyes at him from a face that resembled Zelda's.

Softly, she parted her lips as if to speak, but they heard a man's voice, strong and determined, stopping her before she could make any kind of comment at all, and Link looked in the opposite direction.

"Where are we? Where is Dragmire?"

Hadinaru was also pushing himself up, the color of his hair a bit darker than his wife's, the same as Zelda's, a beard lining his chin and mustache over his mouth that gave him a fairly noble look, and he turned a pair of eyes toward Link that matched his daughter's perfectly, his face weathered but wise in some fashion, though there was a good bit of confusion, as well as possible anger, on it. The clothing he wore just as fine as the woman who'd awoken across from him, his tunic made of some fine type of material Link wasn't sure exactly the name of, and as Link regarded him, he watched Hadinaru glance over to see his wife also with them both.

Link didn't keep him waiting on an answer however, his tone respectful when he spoke, "You're in the Palace, and he's dead, Your Highness. At the hands of his son."

Nissandra, hearing this, gasped softly and gave Link a surprised look, "Ganondorf killed him? Then," she narrowed her brows, "where is he now?"

"I'm looking for him," Link explained patiently, keeping his head bowed forward while he conversed with the royals in respect, not completely certain what might have been expected from him otherwise.

Hadinaru had stood up completely and moved to his wife when Link spoke those words, and Link glanced up quietly to watch him helping the Hylian Queen to her feet. While they stood, Link waited, still bowed before them, listening as Hadinaru spoke, "_You_ are looking for him? For what purpose?" Seeing that Link was still standing, and not feeling like the royal he knew he was completely, he added, "Please rise, there's no need for formality at this hour."

Nodding, Link stood up, letting his eyes raised to the royals with the thought of their questions in mind. Link knew he couldn't just spell everything out right away, and with a slow shake of his head, he spoke, "It's a very long story, Your Majesty. But, if I had to sum it up, all I could tell you is that my name is Link, and you have both been kept asleep for ten years now, held within the Palace by the son that replaced your daughter after his true father put you both into a deep sleep."

Hadinaru stared at Link somewhat blankly as he tried to take this information in, and just as he was about to speak, he heard his wife whispering out incredulously, "T-ten...ten years?" When she said that, she looked up at her husband with a worried expression upon her face. "Hadinaru, that means our daughter could be _anywhere_ now."

Hadinaru settled an arm around his wife's back as if to try to comfort her, and through his ministrations to her state of being, they heard, "My Queen," from Link. drawing their attention, and once he had it, he went on, "I'm a very close friend of your daughter. I can bring her to you, but I have to find Ganondorf before I can. She came here under his command, to save your lives. Now I have to save hers."

Nissandra gasped and covered her mouth, wide eyed, while Hadinaru gave Link a stern expression that seemed to regard the young Hylian standing before him now as if to wonder more about him. Slowly, he stepped past his wife, coming toward the eighteen year old and stopped before him. Nissandra spoke his name on a whispered voice from behind, and he held up his hand, telling her without words to wait before turning his attention to Link again.

Link waited, wondering what his Lord might say to him, being completely quiet when Hadinaru asked him, "You said your name is Link, didn't you?"

"I did, sir."

"Then, Link," Hadinaru began, "my wife and I, if what you say is true, found out ten years prior to this moment that our child had been replaced with another, and when we confronted the man who had been exposed for what he really was, we were attacked, and blacked out completely. Our last effort was to demand the location of our daughter from Dragmire, but he said he knew nothing. If he did not know, then how do you?"

Link, his gaze casting down over the question, gave Hadinaru the most sensible answer he could figure to say in that moment. "Because I, with your daughter, was taken from my true parents as a baby to be kept safe in Kakariko Village. I was sent away by them and by Impa to protect the Princess from her birth, and I've known her all of my life."

Slippers swiftly clicked against the floor as Nissandra moved forward, coming to a stop at her husband's side. She looked as if she wanted to know much more, but she couldn't find the words to speak. Hadinaru, however, looked to the side and asked, "Impa?" Then he glanced his violet blue eyes back to Link with the question, "Who were your parents?"

"My parents are Lyonel and Myriad, Your Majesty," Link told him quietly. "I was taken because Myriad didn't want Dragmire to learn she'd carried me, and then use me against her."

Hadinaru reacted when he heard the name, as if he'd just thought of her as he exclaimed, "Myriad!" Simultaneously, he exchanged a glance with his wife, then at the young man before them who was a proper age if Myriad had carried a child before she'd disappeared, but they both looked uncertain about the whole thing. "We were told she abandoned us but took it for lies with the rest once we learned the truth of things," Hadinaru began. "We thought afterwards that she'd been killed. Is that true?"

"No, she isn't dead." came a fourth voice from the archway of the chamber, drawing all three Hylian's attentions quickly. Turning, they saw Ganondorf standing close to the entrance of the room, and without hesitating, Link moved past the royal's, stopping before them as if to offer unspoken protection, and faced Ganondorf completely. The Evil King was chuckling as he'd moved, and the words sounded, "Myriad's son. How nice that must be for you. It explains everything. She must have granted you a piece of her power."

Link sneered, but it was the true King who spoke in his stead, "Ganondorf! What are you attempting? Do you have our daughter?"

"I do indeed," Ganondorf smirked in response, taking only a few steps forward before adding, "and with her in place, I no longer need either of you alive to make her bend to my will."

Link drew his sword quickly, pointing it at Ganondorf without hesitation, his expression serious as he amended for the King of Evil, "You _do_ need them alive if you want _me_ to cooperate, though. This is between us, Hadinaru and Nissandra have nothing to do with it!"

Ganondorf continued to smile maliciously as he regarded his enemy, then he nodded his head quietly, "Well spoken, I couldn't have said it better myself. So, in light of this, go to the portal for me now, and I will spare their lives for you."

Link shook his head slowly in defiance, replying, "Not unless the King and Queen are able to leave safely with the two of us still here. Once they're gone, then I'll do it."

"Very well." Ganondorf didn't seem to care one way or the other, and glancing at the two, once sleeping royals, he started sarcastically, "_Mother_, _Father_, you're free to go. Now leave us."

Turning to look at them since he somehow knew that they wouldn't just leave with so many questions unanswered, Link said, "I promise, I'll bring your daughter to you when this is all over. She'll be fine."

Nissandra glanced at Link, seeing the promise in his eyes, but Hadinaru kept his stern, unyielding gaze on Ganondorf. Balling his fist, he demanded angrily, "Why are you doing this, Ganondorf!? Have we ever mistreated you? We would have continued to hold you in high esteem. It wasn't your fault that Dragmire stole our daughter away from us!"

Ganondorf just smirked over the words, then he lifted a brow and gave an indifferent shake of his head. "It has nothing to do with my treatment or what happened when I was too young to remember. So run along, before I change my mind, and make this whelp do as I tell him to anyway once you're both dead."

Link, sneering in Ganondorf's direction, said to Hadinaru while his gaze still fell upon the Evil King, "Sire, please take your wife, and head down the stairs to the throne room. I know there's much you need to ask, but I can't break my promise to your daughter."

Hadinaru, giving Ganondorf the same type of stare that Link was, asked in response, "What promise?"

"I told her I'd take care of her. That means her parents too. So I need you both to go safely."

Hadinaru, in hearing those words, took in a breath of concern, but he knew Link was right. As much as he wanted to know more, he couldn't just stay there, not with the unknown threats to their lives looming so closely. He listened to Link with a slow nod of his head, taking his wife and stepping toward the archway and past the one who'd been called son by him at one time. He stopped only once, to look back at Link, sword in the young Hylian's hand, determination in his eyes, and he said, "I'll be looking forward to see if you're as steadfast as you look, Link."

Link gave a single nod of his head, and the royals left the room. When they did, Ganondorf stepped a little bit closer and waved his hand. "Now go to the portal. Perhaps if I tell you that you'll find your prized possession at the other end of it, it will make things simpler for you."

Link held a stare with the King of Evil for a long moment, uncertain to trust him, but he did as he was asked, putting his sword back into its sheath as he took a slow step back toward the magical light that shone from the floor. He was keeping his end of the bargain. Once one of his legs had entered the light of the portal, he stopped, and told Ganondorf, "If she's hurt, I'll spend all the breath I have making you pay dearly for it."

Ganondorf's amused chuckle hit his pointed ears as he pushed his other leg into the portal, deciding his enemy could laugh all he wanted to, and it wouldn't change anything. With the thought in mind, he let the light cast him upwards.

Hopefully, he'd finally find a part of what he was looking for now.


	67. Dark Palace II

_Chapter 66 - Dark Palace II_

A platform shimmered before his vision after Link stepped into the portal to be teleported as Ganondorf had asked. With narrowed brows as he came into view amidst the structure located high above Hyrule's Palace beneath the turbulent clouds rolling over him in the sky, he looked across it, and his vision led him straight to Zelda, standing in the center of a blue triangle etched onto the surface of the platform at the bottom left of a large Triforce emblem which they were both standing upon. His eyes widened in response and he immediately moved toward her.

"Zelda!"

Coming to a stop in front of her, Link took her upper arms in his hands, concern on his face, especially when he noticed that her eyes were stark white, no trace of the violet blue color whatsoever. For a moment, he actually felt the fear that he'd reached her too late, and he shook his head without even realizing it in response to that fear. In turn, he jarred her shoulders in his grip to try to get her to respond to him, and asked her name again, "Zelda, speak to me?"

She didn't respond, simply stood there with a blank expression upon her face. However, in that moment as he worried over her, a whirr of energy sounded between them, and Link stopped when he heard it and simultaneously felt an unseen force he couldn't deny rising up between them. It built for only a brief moment before knocking him back away from the Princess completely, though not by her own hand, onto the center of the platform where he'd arrived just a few moments before. He cringed hard, a pain ripping through his chest over whatever force had caused the blow, his white teeth bared together with the effort of coping with the pain before he heard Ganondorf's voice behind him.

"I should have warned you about that," the Evil King commented, waving a casual hand, "don't near her, it would be like two opposite magnets pushing one another away. The same would become of me were I to approach. Though she can more than likely hear and see everything, but her own whims are slave now to what she desires."

Finally managing to get his breath back, Link pushed himself over onto his knees and demanded, "What have you done to her!?"

"Nothing," the King smirked in immediate response, standing a few feet away from Link while gazing upon the inanimate Princess while the breezes blew through her hair and skirts, still standing just the way he'd left her. Link also gazed over at her, willing her in his mind to move, not understanding why she was just standing there, why her eyes were completely white, and he could only listen as Ganondorf explained to him, "she did this for me, or, for her parents anyway. She's under complete possession of the Triforce of Wisdom, as you are about to be under that of Courage, and I of Power."

Link turned his gaze up toward Ganondorf when he heard this, standing again and stepping back slightly. Under possession even though she could still hear and see them? What could he have meant, that she was under the control of her Triforce half of course, but for what intent? How and why?

Unable to ignore those question, Link asked, "What are you talking about?"

His question wasn't unexpected, and looking from the Princess and to the young Hylian who'd been protecting her for most of his life, Ganondorf told him through a malicious smirk, "I'm speaking of the immense power we both carry with us. All three of us. Apparently, the Triforce chose the two of you, as I was gifted myself upon my true father's close brush with death. We are a step above everyone else in this world, and now it is time to pay homage to that power."

Link shook his head slowly, his fists balling, "You're completely insane, Ganondorf."

"Hm hm hm," he chuckled out slowly, "am I? Or do you simply not know what it is that we three all want? I'll be a bit more simple so that you can understand."

Link narrowed his brows, standing toward the bottom point of the center triangle between the three around them while Ganondorf stood near the red several feet across from him, the winds whipping through their hair and clothing for a single silent moment, before the King of Evil continued with his explanation. "Now that I know Myriad is your mother, I know you would do anything to release her. This is what you want, what you desire just as much, if not more, than anything else, isn't it? In turn, Myriad is needed to awaken the Princess's parents, leaving her with the desire to have the Sage released as well, though I'm sure she would have wanted this anyway with the gentle heart she has."

Link tried his best to remain silent while the man spoke, but he couldn't help sneering when a streak of utter loathing for the words being said rose up through him. Ganondorf finally finished his litany, paying no mind to the look on his enemies face. "I, myself, want Myriad released for the power she possesses. It's a common goal of three, even if they share different motivations fueling them, but that desire in itself is one which binds us together, whether we like it or not."

"Believe me," Link replied without missing a beat, "I _don't_ like it."

"Nor do I," Ganondorf spoke in agreement pointedly, but then waved a dismissive hand. "Still, it's the truth, one we'll have to deal with. However, what I want, more than your mother's power is an assembled Triforce in my possession, the same as my father did. Sadly, this is my own personal curse, since the Triforce of Power was used to seal your mother away at my father's hands. So the only way to open the realm again and retrieve her, or any part of her at all, is to have the three halves working for one common goal to undo what one has done."

Link looked on in loathing over the way he'd said that, but even in doing so, he knew Ganondorf was completely right. It would be the only way to break the seal placed upon the Sacred Realm, unless one of them managed to obtain the Triforce of Power, to open the seal since the desires would be different. But Ganondorf had that Triforce, and Link wasn't even certain a single person had the ability to hold two halves at once. So he had a decision to make now - did he assist Ganondorf in an attempt to save his mother from the Sacred Realm, or did he resist and try to attack him, risking the inability to help Myriad altogether?

Something in him said that, despite his need to be rid of his enemy, now was the time to have the seal on the realm opened, to work with him despite their hatred of one another to accomplish that, as much as he loathed the entire concept of it. If he didn't, he somehow knew he could risk never saving his mother, and in fact dooming her to be imprisoned forever. With no other options available to him in that moment, turning his head to the side in thought, he gazed at Zelda toward his back left standing there, her eyes solid white and her beautiful face lifeless. His fists balled in the face of this situation as he fortified his strength.

With the wind whipping through his hair and casting the blonde locks into his eyes, he turned back to Ganondorf and asked him only one question.

"What do I need to do?"

The question made Ganondorf's lips raise into a twisted smile. Without word at first, he took a step back, over the red triangle at the top of the three slowly. Once he did this, as if demonstrating to the Hylian the steps he needed to take, he responded, "Take your place among us to her right."

Link watched him coming to a stop at the center of the red triangle, and when Ganondorf did, he slowly turned to look at that of the green, the only empty one left. Link had no choice. There was no way he could overcome this or do anything else to save his mother or the woman he loved more than his own life. Taking in a breath of the whipping wind around him while his gaze had settled on that empty space, he started.

His boot lifted, steps slowly leading him toward the green triangle on the surface of the platform, and he took his place at the center of it and looked back at the two with him now, Ganondorf stationed at the top over the red, as Zelda stood over the blue.

Ganondorf watched, a satisfaction filling him unlike he'd had yet with the three pieces, at last, in place to be moved. At last, it was time. With this knowledge in mind, the King of Evil spoke the words, "Zelda, you promised me. Now aide me. Summon the power of the Sages to make this pact between us complete. The pieces are in place. Help me to finish this quest once and for all."

Link's eyes went a slight bit wide over the words, but he saw Zelda's hands beginning to glow as they had when she'd summoned the Light Arrows for him in response to Ganondorf's request. She'd began to summon the mystical powers of the Sages he'd fought so hard to release with her, using them now to aide the very person they had been trying to keep them away from. But he couldn't do anything for it, this was how it had to be, and Link had to allow it all to happen, couldn't even get close to Zelda without being knocked away because of the Triforce he carried to begin with reacting to hers.

All across the land, from the waters and the forests, the spirits and the shadows, the light which had been cast out by the thick clouds, power was granted into the Seventh Sage's hands, and as this power was culminated together, Link felt a weary feeling overtaking him, as if he were losing possession of his body to something much more powerful than himself, or anyone else in this world.

It was nothing like before, when Dark Link had possessed him. He felt no anger or hatred, no joy or love - all he felt consumed by was the drive to do more, to push on, to fearlessly complete any task that fell before him. With this drive consuming him, his eyes lost their own color and went white while the Triforce of Courage rose up in him, taking over his being completely just as had happened to Zelda with her Triforce of Wisdom.

The same happened with Ganondorf throughout the culmination of the Sage Powers, though his feelings were all centered on the power that brimmed within his soul, the ability to do as he wished and choose his own path for himself without the need to worry over others or what they thought. Within this state, twisted to darkness by the evil his soul possessed, his own eyes went just as white as the two Hylians standing with him now.

The stage was set, the possessions complete. The Sage powers that had been summoned began to flow out of Zelda and into the platform she stood upon, lighting the three triangles on which they stood in red, blue, and green. In response, pyramids of a golden aura rose about their bodies. When this occurred, the platform began to shake and tremble against the foundation of the tower it had been built upon with a force festering upon it that was greater than any felt thus far.

Amidst the turbulence that had began, Ganondorf's eyes turned a solid, glowing shade of red. He was followed by Zelda's whose turned blue, and finally Link, the green of his own power showing forth. In response, the golden aura forming about them solidified completely, encasing the three pieces of the ancient relic of the Goddesses and taking shape of the golden emblem so well known throughout all of the Kingdom.

Out in the fields set against the Palace where the battle for light and darkness ensued, a rumbling in the earth was felt that had been triggered by the powerful events taking place in the Kingdom's royal home. Both opposing forces alike stopped in their battling, something about the sense of the entire situation disallowing them to pay any heed to one another and instead drawing their complete attention, the fields that were stained in shed blood ignored as inquiring eyes gazed toward the Palace.

Everyone then witnessed it, a flash if bright light striking down from the heavens, and all grew quiet for only a moment. The complete silence ensuing that strike was the calm before the storm.

The platform, seen in the distance by the revolt and their enemies both with ease, began to break away from the entire Palace itself, carrying the three upon it while the quaking of the movements sent harsh rumbles outwards, the foundation of the granite walls shaken with the power that was surging through them. Two of the tall towers surrounding Hyrule's Palace began to crumble away in the wake of the events without mercy, the sounds of their crashing heard in the distance.

Impa, standing near Lyonel in the field, watched while that distant platform moved upwards and turned onto its side for all to see, assuming the shape of the Triforce completely, standing like a beacon over the lands with nothing to stop it.

No one had the words to describe what they were feeling in that moment under the gaze of the relic staring over them, and nothing could have been said to begin with. The massive emblem imbued with the Goddess powers rising up from the Palace and glowing brightly in the sky against turbulent clouds left them all in utter silence, the power exuded from those triangles keeping them all enthralled.

Contained within its three halves lay the possessors who were bound together by their common desire, and between them, between each third where the single, upside down triangle mirrored the rest, a light began to shine with the clouds above it opening in a rippling circle as if to accept it into the very heavens itself and take it back from whence it came. Rays of light shone down from those broken mists against the sky, and with that power building to break the seal upon the Sacred Realm, a sudden burst of energy charged out and washed over the fields with a sound never before heard that reverberated against the earth, knocking the people off of their feet.

Lightening flashed, thunder rumbled, and several of the evils that stood amongst the field could not stand in the wake of the divine power that was exuded now, crumbling them to ashes. It was amidst all of this that a second sound unheard before started to play in the ears of those who managed to gaze toward it in the aftermath of their falls. The sound was a low pitch that grew higher in frequency over time, as if the emblem was being taken up by some unseen force, causing it to suddenly shimmer out of existence completely and away from everyone's sight, leaving a second wave to wash over everyone. Many took cover from it, but this burst of power had been much less turbulent than the first, leaving everyone to wonder in its wake with questions and confusions alike.

Lyonel, no different from those around him, had been knocked onto his back near a few of his allies, and he tried to push himself up slowly, the hood of his cloak hanging around his shoulders while he did so. In those moments, while still on the ground in the wake of the burst the sacred relic had ignited over the lands, he watched it disappearing along with everyone else.

Impa, who had fallen near by to his position, looked toward him finally, the expression on her face both awed as well as concerned. In those moments, she saw him looking down, his brows narrowing in thought, one word whispered on his voice.

"Myriad."

---

The trembling inside of the Palace made the King and Queen wonder what in the names of the Goddesses was going on, both of them heading to a window to see that in the fields, a battle that had been fought was currently interrupted, and ensuing the revelation, more trembling took place. Hadinaru pulled Nissandra away from the glass in its wake just before the windows shattered, and he headed toward an archway with her that would protect them in the face of the tremors, hearing his wife gasping when a column next to them fell. Pulling her against himself, he did his best to protect the both of them as the unknown cause of the chaos surrounding them occurred.

The sound of something massive crumbling took place outside of the structure they were currently located inside of, loud and somehow ominous in feel, and it was then that they saw the cause of all the shaking outside of the window across from them toward the back of the Palace. They both stared, wide eyed, and realized with witnessing the looming structure of the Triforce coming into view in the sky that they had been awoken at some type of apparent turning point in the entire Kingdom.

The relic loomed in their view for only a short time however before it released a good amount of energy over the Palace and then faded away in a bright flash of light, one which turned the entire Throne Room around them dark for several moments with the luminescence flooding heavily in through the windows. Hadinaru ducked down with his Queen and they stayed as still as they could, finally able to feel the foundations of what had once been their home no longer shaking. When it calmed down, silence enveloped their pointed ears, and slowly, they looked up at the window to see nothing there, only an empty, cloud filled sky, their gaze turning to one another in question.

Confused and completely worried, once things grew quiet again for a long while of waiting on more chaos to happen, Hadinaru listened as his wife spoke softly, "That young man said he was going after Zelda, and now all of this happened. Do you think she was out there?"

Hadinaru wished he could give his wife a proper answer, wished he knew for himself, but he was just as lost in all of this as she was. While it did make him feel angry, he didn't allow it to overcome him and instead, offered his wife comfort by saying, "Let's go find out for sure, love. Things seem calm enough now to be able to."

With those words, he helped her to her feet and moved back toward the center of the Throne Room they'd arrived in a while beforehand, turning to head to the doors in order to exit when those doors suddenly opened up before them.

Hadinaru was ready to grab a sword from one of the suits of armor standing nearby with all of the surprises going on, but the face he saw was a familiar one, and it stopped him from thinking to charge someone down and plow through them if he had to. Going a bit wide eyed, he stood up straight and exclaimed, "Impa! What in the name of Nayru's love is going on!?"

Impa seemed highly surprised to see them, having come to an immediate stop in her tracks when her name was exclaimed. She'd left the fields with Lyonel's suggestion that the King and Queen could very well be accessible now, and without much more of a threat in the fields since many of their enemies had been killed in the wake of the Triforce's formation over the lands, she agreed it could be a good time to go and check for them.

She hadn't come with the intention of finding them awake, but was very glad that they were indeed with all that was going on around them. Moving toward them both, Impa got down on a knee in service to her lord and lady, saying, "We're unsure of the specifics, but we do know that Ganondorf has opened a portal to the Sacred Realm using the Triforce of Power he possesses in combination with one that was gifted to your daughter and to her close friend."

The news seemed to make the royals quiet for a moment, exchanging a glance between one another. Nissandra couldn't help herself from saying, "She has a half of the Triforce? Then...she's..."

Impa looked up and stood, replying, "She does hold a piece, and I'm guessing she was up there, but I do not know much more beyond that. Still, all three pieces means that Link _is_ with her now. This puts me at ease, Your Highness, as I know he'll not simply allow anything to happen to her." Impa knew she had to rest them of their worrying because they didn't know much of Link.

With those efforts in mind, Impa continued, "Ganondorf turned the Kingdom into a tyranny after your departures, and we've been struggling against him to dethrone him and restore you both. I believe the final battle is about to take place in that effort."

"In the Sacred Realm," Hadinaru began, unable to help himself, shaking his head as he got out the question on a gruff tone of voice that Impa knew meant he wasn't exactly as angry as he just was in dire need to know more, "Who is that young man? He woke us somehow, and says he's known Zelda all of her life, and that you took them both to keep them safe. Is this true?"

Impa nodded her head, giving him the answer he desired where she did not have the chance to so long ago before Dragmire cast them both into the slumber they'd been in. She had to ignore the pain she'd always felt of doing so, but she got the words out, "Yes, Your Highness, it was the only way to keep them safe from harm until a way could be found to free you from Dragmire's power and make you see the truth. She was taken with a son Myriad bore in secret three months prior to her so that he in turn could be kept safe from Dragmire's treacheries. Link is the one foreseen to do away with the evils in the land, the Hero of Legend whom carries the sword of evil's bane, and as well he has the third Triforce half. He and Zelda have been good friends most of their lives."

Nissandra looked down with the words spoken, taking them in, considering her daughter whom she'd only met once as a newborn, and the Hylian she was now with. As she thought, her mind took her to one conclusion over the entire situation, and she spoke those thoughts, "That must have been where Ganondorf wanted Link to go before we left him, to wherever he was holding Zelda, because, if Dragmire is now dead, then the last Triforce would be in his son's hands."

Hadinaru narrowed his brows sternly with that realization, and Impa didn't make him wait, beginning, "My Lord, there is much to tell, but Ganondorf's goal is Myriad's power. She was sealed away by Dragmire inside of the Sacred Realm ten years ago for her efforts to stop him from possessing the Triforce. We've been trying to prevent this from happening, as that much power within Ganondorf's hands would make him unstoppable, and so to aide them, we've been in battle against his forces. I left the fields however to come in and see if I could find you, as we'd been informed that you were actually alive unlike we'd been led to believe for all of these years."

These words definitely helped to shed some light onto the situation, and before Hadinaru could ask, Impa told him, "Those still loyal to you have gone into hiding and formed a revolt. The Goron and the Zora are assisting us against Ganondorf's minions as well because of the help aided to them through Link and Zelda. You have both been awoken at a tumultuous time for your Kingdom, but seeing you awake now gives me the strongest hope that, in the near future, everything will return to what it once was."

Quietly, Hadinaru took this information in, Nissandra looking up at his face to see what he might say. While she gazed upon him, he looked over at his servant, telling her, "Thank you, my old friend, but I'm afraid you've found me at my most helpless hour. This Kingdom is not the one I swore to serve, and I have no power here."

Listening to him, Impa shook her head as if to inform him otherwise, "You are what everyone has mourned the loss of, and you have more power than you know. Your daughter is fighting for you both right now, along with Link, and though we cannot help them, though all that we can do until they succeed is wait, and save what we can, we can also gather our numbers to set a fortification under our returned King and Queen."

She was right. Hadinaru knew that much, and knew he valued Impa's wisdom and opinions for good reason. Sighing out his breath, knowing he had to stand strong now, as strong as he had in his life that he could remember, he looked at Nissandra, and watched her nodding at him with her unending support. Even if he weren't the man he was, if he had been a simpering coward which he was not, he would still feel obligated to do so for the sin of being allowed to give up his daughter, for the effort of granting her everything he felt he owed her.

With these driving forces in mind, he gave Impa the word, "We should see to this then as soon as possible."

Impa couldn't help forming a slow smile, glad to finally feel some type of normal place once more, no matter how slight that feeling was, to be fulfilling the wish of her true King. With a bow to her Lord and Lady, she responded, "Yes, Your Majesties. I also think it would be the safest if you remained here for now until other's can be alerted. I'll go gather everyone and have them brought along."

Watching Impa turn to leave immediately, the King took a slow breath into his nose and then exhaled it out of his mouth. Much needed to be said and done still, but he was, he couldn't help thinking with a dry humor, well rested, and very up for the challenge. It was then, after the doors shut and he'd had the thought, that he heard his wife sniffling, and he narrowed a brow in curiosity when he looked down at her, reaching to lift her chin slowly to look up at his face.

Seeing the expression he'd given her as her sapphire eyes met his, she knew he was concerned, and he asked, "Are you afraid for our daughter?"

"Of course," she replied, reaching and taking his hand before she added, "Though, I'm crying because I'm happy too. I'm happy to know that she's done so well, though she's in peril right now. I'm happy to know something good of her, even if there's no other word we ever receive."

Hadinaru gifted his wife with a small smile and nod of his head, her strength to try to keep in mind the good along with the bad having always been one of the forces behind his strength. "We will receive more word from her, Nissandra. Zelda has apparently made a good number of friends in our absence. Our daughter will not be brought down so easily."

Nissandra hugged him when he told her that, and while they stood there in silent comfort of one another, hoping for the best and praying to the Goddesses that it could be given to them after their long nightmares had been ended with Link's efforts, she focused on the very near future to come with those sentiments. She didn't want to awaken from one horror to another one.

But, if what Impa had said was true, and the courageous young Hylian they'd met so briefly earlier had shown his true colors when he'd defended them, then she could see a light in the distance, no matter how fleeting it seemed to be. After all, he was the son of Myriad, who was a very close friend, even like a sister to her. To think of all that she'd come to learn since she'd awoken made her eyes shut tightly with the need to help make everything right again flowing through her, as she knew her husband also felt in that moment.

Hadinaru had considered the same thoughts, though his centered around his child and the son his friend had that they'd never known about. Zelda and Link had apparently traveled a long ways to reach the point they had, and in a way, he felt fortunate to be awoken in time to see the end of their struggles and help support them, even if whatever they _could_ do was small.

Upon a successful campaign, whenever he met Link again, he would make sure these deeds did not go unnoticed. But for now, all that needed to pass was time to determine the final outcome.


	68. Liberation

_Chapter 67 - Liberation_

Through the mists of clouds covering the abysses, the Triforce rose up like an entity all in its own. It came to a stop within the void, emerging into the Sacred Realm completely, carrying those that bound it together with ease, and the clouds covering its view from sight shifted over the three glinting triangles like a blue mist. A low moan of sound reverberated as the ancient relic floated upwards, seeming to somehow shake the foundation of the very air that surrounded it. Coming to a stop, pulsing waves generating through the relic, it turned slowly and then began to move.

The Triforce passed through sky and cloud alike, leaving a trail of energy in its wake, no force to stop it as the speed it took was insurmountable. Within the Sacred Realm once again where it had come to rest safely over two hundred years before at the hands of a previous Hero of Legend, it burst swiftly through a passing void after which formed a shining light, one that flashed and shone brightly from the distance atop a pedestal made of magical forces which overlooked a barren wasteland that had been left there ten years beforehand.

That pedestal towered high above it all, standing like a sentinel, one in which the Triforce had once been held that now housed the imprisoned Myriad, and the relic's destination.

Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf could all see this under their possessions as the Triforce hurtled them toward the pedestal with what seemed like a strength that should not have been existent, yet was able to stop itself in a moment's notice. Within each of their view they spied their destination, saw the Sage of Light bound within fields of energy surrounding her, shackled by magical chains. It was like the past reversed, and instead of looking up at the Triforce as she once had so long ago, that emblem now stood down before her, rising up toward her prison.

As the divine relic protectively containing its possessors rotated its three halves throughout the air in a counterclockwise motion, a single light in the center began to shine brightly. Link knew, though he could not react to, what was about to happen. His Mother was about to finally be freed from her prison, and all he could do along with Zelda was watch this taking place, fuel it from the desire within their souls, along with that of their enemy whom was helping them to accomplish this, hindering them with what would come afterwards.

The light the relic was creating had started growing in strength and intensity, and with a burst of energy, the light shot forth and toward the barriers surrounding the Sage of Light with resounding strength. Held tightly, those binds started to collapse beneath the undeniable force pressing down on them now, breaking the shackles binding her one by one, her arms and legs coming free after so long, chains breaking and shattering completely. Myriad felt a release from her very soul as the it was all destroyed, liberating her amidst the power of the unified Triforce continuing to decimate any magic that was containing her body and her spirit without mercy.

It all fell completely away and the bright power that the relic had engulfed her prison with faded from sight. The luminescence that had once been blocking her from their view faded away with it, and Myriad drifted there for a moment, unmoving. Its task was now completed, and with the common cause the possessors wanted accomplished at hand, the relic could no longer hold itself together, would now begin to break away into separate halves once more.

Myriad fell from where she had been entrapped for so long now, landing on the magical pedestal below her overlooking the wasteland in the distance. Coming to rest, able to feel freedom once again, she flexed her fingers and pushed her arms against the surface beneath her while the echo of the relic that had liberated her began to slowly turn its side down and come to rest, allowing the second cause of the three binding it to manifest in the form of delivering them to the Sage.

As she pushed herself onto her knees, leaning forward against her hands, the transformation of the Triforce back into the three possessors which had combined it for a short time occurred. Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf all phased into form upon the surface of the platform that had once been a piece of Hyrule's Palace. The golden aura shimmered away like a smoke, and the color of their eyes returned to normal as they were freed from the binds of their common cause, lost their ability to continue flowing in one path, but they maintained the memory of what they had just witnessed.

Myriad was bowed onto her hands and knees before them, her hood hanging too low to see her face, and Link was the first to act when he looked over at her. There was nothing stopping him from rushing to her side anymore, and so he did. Dropping to his knees next to her, he was about to reach for her shoulders when he stopped himself, and instead placed them there slowly and gently, his face one of complete concern.

"Mo...mother?"

Myriad didn't reply, not verbally anyway. Watching her, wondering if this were all real, if he could really be by her side now, he looked down at his hand when he saw her fingers placed upon it gently, and the touch drew from his lips a soft breath, adding the whisper, "Mother, I'm here now."

She was apparently recovering for the moment from her long imprisonment, and Zelda had taken her own steps toward the scene slowly, but she stopped moving when she noticed a shadow and looked back. Letting a gasp, she felt trapped and bound when a barrier formed up to surround and encase her, the sound of her gasp drawing Link's attention. Looking up, he saw Ganondorf's hand upraised over Zelda's head with the power he used pulsing down from it over her as he spoke.

"It seems somewhat sad, really, that it would be this easy to overcome you. I now have two I can hang over your head instead of just one."

Link sneered, but before he could move, Myriad's form shimmered away from him in a sparkling of light, and the two men had no clue where she'd gone for a moment, though Link witnessed her reforming behind Ganondorf without warning before the Evil King could notice her. It was then that a force of power knocked him away from Zelda and across the platform, landing before Link and sliding to a quick stop, the light energy that had knocked him forward also decimating the barrier surrounding the Princess.

Link stared as this happened, Myriad's lowered, hooded face unmoving while she stood close to Zelda whom had stepped toward her and back away from the Evil King that had just tried to use her against her allies, and when Ganondorf looked back, he had to admit he was surprised, just as he remembered she'd said he would be when he arrived to claim her powers for his own.

Ganondorf, however, was not daunted by her abilities, standing back up before them, stepping to the side slowly as he asked, "You're not going to be difficult now, are you, Myriad? Or do I need to contain you a second time?"

The blandly spoken words sparked an anger inside of Link that he couldn't ignore. He was tired of this, wanted it over, and would not allow his mother to be bound again, or anymore of his loved ones to suffer because of this King of Evil. Drawing his blade from his back and his shield over his arm, he moved in with an angry yell of attack.

Ganondorf, having sensed this coming, turned around with a swipe of his own blade to meet against Link's. Then both met face to face, then pushed one another away before their fight ensued.

Zelda gasped, but before she could react, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder stopping her, and she looked back to see Myriad, whose face had lifted only slightly to meet her blue eyes to that of the Princess's. Zelda stayed silent as she looked upon the woman's regal appearance for the first time in person, and Myriad looked from her and ahead as her son's sword clashed against that of her enemy's son's. Zelda looked back with her, hearing Myriad finally speaking quietly to her.

"No matter what, my lady, you must allow Link to finish this, otherwise it will never end."

With her hand still upon Zelda's shoulder, the Princess took in a swift breath, suddenly feeling somehow empowered in a way she hadn't before, and she turned her violet blue eyed gaze back to Myriad, able to see her nose and lips as the woman had lowered her head once more. The sound of swords crashing together didn't stop Zelda from realizing what Myriad had just done, and Zelda turned to look over at the two fighting now when she had this realization, one which she stayed quiet over.

Link's blade met Ganondorf's with a spark of metal, his sword pushed to the side, and in retaliation, he drew up his shield to block a swipe to his torso. He watched as his enemy began to emanate the dark power he possessed through his arms and into his weapon, a move Link began to counter with his own power charging into his blade, causing it to glow white.

Ganondorf pulled his weapon back and they exchanged blows once more, moving swiftly, but Ganondorf moved too swiftly. With his speed, he hit the Master Sword and used the dark energy he'd gathered to send a shock against the weapon, one which knocked it out of Link's grasp and sent it flying away through the air. In the spin it had been sent into, Link saw the tip embed itself between the three triangles on the surface of the platform they stood on.

Link was dazed by the blast of energy he hadn't managed to counter as well, and suddenly found his feet leaving the ground as a fist closed around his throat. Grunting, he reached for that fist and cringed while being lifted up, struggling against the painful hold as his deep blue eyes opened into slits to stare down into the malice filled black of the man who was holding him up now.

"_No_!"

Ganondorf's chuckle was heard as Zelda yelled that word at him, and Myriad stepped past her slowly. Zelda, seeing this, didn't stop her, knew that she couldn't, and could only watch at current the events unfolding now as Ganondorf spoke to the Sage of Light.

"Myriad, you know what you have to do."

Myriad came to a stop with the Master Sword before her as her son was held within Ganondorf's gasp upon the red triangle of the emblem marking the platform. Her voice soft and proper, she informed him, "Yes, I know what I have to do, Ganondorf. Release him, and the Light Power of this realm shall be yours."

Smirking up at Link's choked expression, he slowly turned to Myriad and replied, "No, I believe I'll hold onto him until that power is in my grasp, including the power which you gave to him at birth. Then I'll release him to you."

"Very well," she replied without hesitation, and her body began to glow white.

Link struggled again as this happened, cringing and choking out the words, "Mother...no! Don't...give him..."

He couldn't get in enough breath to finish his lines when the fist choking him closed even tighter, and Ganondorf simply began to laugh over the fact that he couldn't even speak, laughed that Link was forced into helplessly watching while Myriad did as she was being made to. Link, in turn, could feel his own power beginning to drain away in the process, taken back and added to what Ganondorf was about to be granted. That power began to emanate up into the air, pulsing, growing, and with a burst of light down from the sky above them, it slammed into Ganondorf, filling him with what looked like an electrical current resonating over his body, festering within him and mingling with the power he already held.

His laughter was heard growing more and more menacing amidst it all, and Link, unable to breath, felt his consciousness becoming fleeting as he was held there, especially over the weakened condition that the power leaving his body put him in. But Ganondorf turned and threw him, no longer feeling the need to hold onto him as the power he'd desired so badly consumed him. Link stumbled over onto the surface of the platform, falling before the Master Sword standing embedded in its surface, trying to inhale the breath that he'd been missing with a harsh cough and gasp that was sputtered out.

Myriad and Zelda both moved toward him, while Ganondorf rose up into the sky, a whirr sounding before his form disappeared from view completely. Still, his distant laughter could be heard however, and while the areas surrounding them seemed to tremble and grown much darker, Zelda and Myriad went to help Link up.

In doing so, lightening struck across the sky and thunders rumbled loudly. The winds picked up and over them, and from the grounds below, large rock spires began to jut up.

Seeing this, Link rasped out from catching his breath, "What's happening?"

Looking up with him, hearing odd forces at work to reshape the lands, Myriad informed him, "He is attempting to reshape this realm to suit his purposes. He has both your halves of the Triforce here now, and once he has turned this Realm into his new Palace, he will try to use the light and dark filling him in order to control the both of you."

Link had finally managed to recover from nearly being strangled, and hearing exactly what his mother had just stated, he pushed himself up from his knees. Coming to stand between both of them, he couldn't help but consider that this was the final confrontation beginning, what he'd been journeying for. Everything else, so far, had been accomplished, and now this one task, overcoming his foe, remained. Even though he knew this, and faced down his fate here and now, something else seemed just as important to him as all of that, and he couldn't help himself when he looked over at Myriad, wanting to see the face of his mother finally before more could happen.

Seeing his look from the corner of her eyes as she'd initially glanced up with them, a whipping wind having blown the hood from her head, picking up the long tresses of her white blonde hair, she turned her face toward his. When she did, her own eyes taking the face of her son in for the very first time as his took in hers, Myriad's brows slowly wrinkled with the emotion that welled up in her.

Reaching over just as slowly, she brushed the backs of her fingers across Link's cheek. "My son," she whispered, tears streaming from her deep blue eyes, the same color as his. "My grown son," somehow her voice sounded very proud when she spoke that line, but then it took on a more sorrowful note, "I am so sorry."

Link couldn't get out any words to her as she regarded him, shaking his head over her words while fighting off the tears his eyes were starting to burn with, but one managed to escape anyway. Without question, he reached over and hugged her, though he knew they didn't have long to spend on their reunion, and that it would have to be saved for later. Still, they had this moment here and now, and all that mattered to him was how she returned his hug and kissed his temple.

"There's nothing to apologize for," he told her softly. "You did what you had to."

With a nod, Myriad, knowing as well as he did that now was not the time for their reunion no matter how badly she craved it, took in his words while she hugged him as she'd always wanted to, breathing deeply through the emotion that had lifted up in her. She then opened her eyes from hugging him to see Zelda watching them both standing close by to allow them their moment. The Princess had a small, sorrowful smile on her face, wishing the two had more time for this than they did but glad also that they could at least say hello, and Myriad lifted her head back slowly, looking up at Link.

When she did, and Link looked back at her, letting her wipe the tears that had fallen away from his cheeks, she told him, "We will have much more time later for our reunion. For now, the Princess has something she wishes to give to you, Link."

Hearing this, Link looked over at Zelda, and while Zelda felt a bit of shame for her previous actions the last she'd really spoken with him, her bowed head showing as much, she stepped over to him anyway and placed her hand on his arm. "Your mother gifted me with a piece of her power while you fought, so that Ganondorf's would not be as strong, and you could retain your strength."

As she touched him, he felt the power he'd previously lost returning which Zelda was now granting to him. That transfer becoming complete after a short bit of time, he looked at his mother while she spoke, "What Ganondorf does not realize is that with it, any of the same power he tries to use against you which once belonged to me will not harm you, but you will be able to harm him for the darkness within his soul."

Nodding, and unable to help himself, Link asked, "Tricked again?"

"Well," Myriad drew out with a slightly humorous expression upon her face, waving a casual hand, "if it works."

The words made Link grin at her, and she formed a smile on her lips in return, looking at Zelda who shared their sentiments before they glanced up at the sky. Lightening struck down around them, growing in power, and fires began to rain through the clouds overhead, moving toward the distant scenery surrounding them far below. It slammed into the barren lands that Dragmire had left behind, changing its face. Seeing this, they watched as more spires of rock spiking up ever higher, reaching into the sky with loud rumblings echoing in their wake. Indeed, things were getting worse.

"Link, take your sword," Myriad spoke softly. "It is time now to end this."

Looking over, Link saw the Master Sword settled in the middle of the platform as it had once been when he'd first claimed it. Turning, he began to walk toward it, and let his fingers slip around the hilt of the blade. Tightening his grasp, he pulled it from the stone, distracted and turning when a spire of rock rose up behind them very close to the pedestal and into the sky high above, the trembling force shaking the platform on which they all stood.

Ganondorf's laughter resounded when this happened, and provoking words were spoken. "Come now and find me, Hero of Legend, and let this battle ensue. Your blood will lay a path to the new order."

Sneering up at the top of the spire beyond the clouds where he knew his enemy now resided in waiting, the top of the rock much too high for him to reach alone, he looked back as Zelda and Myriad flanked his right and his left sides. Looking first at his mother, then over at Zelda, he remembered something he needed to tell her before he went. Slowly, reaching to her cheek, he made her look up at him by tilting her chin.

Her eyes meeting his with curiosity over what he might say in their violet blue hues, Zelda listened as he spoke, "Your parents are awake, waiting for you to return to them. I used Mother's power to free them from their slumber."

Zelda nodded her head, looking highly relieved, considering how even at a time like this, he was trying to make her feel better when he was the one facing the biggest challenge now. She grasped his hand against her cheek and looked up just as he whispered in addition, "I'm not upset with you, don't be worried. You had no choice."

Her eyes watered, tears trailing down them, and she wiped those tears away while she nodded her head. "I love you," she whispered, adding, "don't let anything happen to you, or I'll be mad."

He smiled gently down at her over that warning and nodded. "I love you, too...Mira."

The name made her smile, and even as the wind whipped past and distant thunder rumbled, they leaned in for one last kiss before this could all come crashing down. Zelda held both of his cheeks in her hands as their lips parted against one another, slowly letting their tongues mingle together while he held her close. Myriad looked on with a tiny smile, tilting her head down while allowing them this moment, knowing it was needed.

Link could feel, as Zelda could, just how much she loved him through their kissing embrace, remembering everything he fought for with her warmth so close, trying to kiss for as long as they could just as the kiss broke off slowly. Their eyes parted and met, and she held his gaze for just a moment longer, letting her fingers slip from his cheeks slowly as she stepped back.

Taking in a breath, she then looked over at Myriad and asked her in preparation, "Are you ready?"

"As ever," Myriad replied, stepping in closer, and she cast a strong, confident gaze up at Link. "And yourself?"

Link, slowly nodding his head as he regarded her, turned his face up to the towering spire before them now, his blade in hand and shield on his arm. "I'm ready, my ladies."

With those words, Zelda and Myriad smiled and then exchanged a glance, and with him between them, they held their arms out slowly, their powers pooling a wave of energy beneath Link's boots. That energy began to lift him up into the air before sending him toward the top of the Spire where his enemy waited, traveling faster and faster, his weapons ready, determination in his eyes, and courage to aide him in his soul.

The ladies standing on the platform below him watched as he disappeared above the clouds they'd sent him through, and with a deep breath, Zelda looked over at Myriad and then gave her a sorrowful smile, reaching to put her arms on her shoulders.

"I," Zelda began, "hope you're alright."

Myriad, knowing the Princess was worried, nodded her head, a prideful smile on her lips, looking back at Zelda as she said, "Yes, we've done all that there is to be done. As hard as it is for me, and I know for you as well, we have to be patient now."

Zelda knew exactly what she meant, and looking back up to the spire, she felt worry flooding over her, simply unable to help herself. But she decided that it was a worry Myriad knew far too well, and so instead, simply mentioned, "When this is finished, we may have to escape."

Nodding and staring up with her, Myriad spoke, "Yes, with the seal the Triforce of Power placed on this realm now broken, all that is needed is the Sage Powers to return here and back again. We should be able to escape with ease if there is a need for it, once Link breaks his power enough to stop his power from binding us here."

"Good," Zelda returned, then she lowered her head with another shaky breath and felt Myriad placing an arm around her own back. She was indeed grateful for the kind comfort, offering her own in turn, Myriad waiting for her son, and Zelda waiting for her life long friend and love to emerge from this with the Goddesses blessings on his side. With the thought, she whispered, "Din, Nayru, Farore, smile on us now."


	69. Courage

_**Author's Note**__: PHEW! Let me tell ya, this was __**not**__ an easy chapter to word right ugh! But here it is, and I just wanted to say to everyone again, thanks for the feedback! No, this story isn't over yet, but I had to, in light of the showdown about to take place, give my gratitudes xD! So I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the story as it starts to draw to a close!_

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_Chapter 68 - Courage_

Coming to land at the top of the spire with Myriad and Zelda's magics having lifted him, Link looked up immediately and stared ahead at the scene before himself. Everywhere around him it was dark, pitch black almost, with random bursts of lightning flashing overhead, but somehow he could still see the rocky slopes of the surface on which he stood, his eyes taking a path to spy the form of the King of Evil standing there with his back turned toward him. Thunder rumbled from within the smokey clouds rolling by, ringing over them as if some kind of signal to get things started.

The top of the rocky spire itself was fairly flat, large and rounded with a good bit of room, and as Link gauged his new surroundings, he heard the sound of fire blazing up behind him. It drew his attention, looking back as a burst of the raging heat raised up in a wall, following a large path around the enemies in a circle, as if to draw out an arena. With the blaze of light encompassing them both and preventing any type of escape, Link looked ahead again to the one doing this.

Ganondorf, knowing he was there without needing to look, began to speak, "Now you wish to try to bring me down. I will grant you this one chance, Hero of Legend, for now that I possess the power which I have dreamt of having for so long, I want you to be the one to taste it, and know before all others that my position is superior."

The firelight surrounding Link glinted off of his face, sword, and shield in intricate shadows and patterns casting him and the surrounding area in an orange light, his gaze narrowed slowly, his sword rising up, and he replied, "Then we'll now find out if it was all worth it."

"Oh, believe me," Ganondorf spoke as he turned around, his face contorting with the power consuming him, "it was."

With those words spoken, the King of Evil began to shift in form, the darkness encompassing his body, combining with the light power Myriad had granted him which she'd snuck a piece of back to Link in the process, and Link watched the sight as it took shape.

He grew larger, transforming into a dark beast. Ganondorf's eyes glowed red, his face changing to resemble that of a boar with a large ring through his nose and horns protruding from his upper maul. The lower half of his body took on four legs, like that of a black centaur, and in his hands, he gripped the sword he'd been holding all along and split into two with a jerk of his arms, both of them slightly curved back toward the tips of the blades with a good reach. The armor he'd worn shifted into place over and around his chest and shoulders, while orbs of fiery magic began to form and float through the air.

He had become Ganon, and with his transformation, the battle began.

Somehow, Link couldn't help but consider that this form seemed to suit him better considering how ugly it was, but he didn't have time to think about it when Ganon made the first move, having reacted in defense to seeing it though the move was defensive in itself. Between his blades, blackness was accumulated, forming a spherical barrage of smoke which encompassed a good bit of his body save for some of his arms and swords. The darkness encompassing him now hid him from sight, only the glowing red eyes he possessed visible beyond that smokey power surrounding him. Link raised his shield, and red orbs of energy began to spiral out from the smoke they surrounded, turning to in midair to target Link, causing him to roll to the side so they would crash into the ground behind him, bursting up in flame where they'd hit.

Shield still on his arm, Link came to and looked up at Ganon, knowing there would be no way to attack with the Master Sword through the darkness he'd encompassed himself in, and he put his sword up on his back with this thought in mind. Instead, he remembered the powerful Light Arrows he had which he could use to shoot into the cloud, forced to jump just after he'd grabbed his bow in order to evade a slice of a sword which was swung down onto his position when Ganon reached out of the cloud he was protecting himself within.

Coming to land, Link notched an arrow, the tip glowing brightly with the power the Spirit Guardian's had provided to him, and he released the weapon just before ducking another red orb. The arrow missed due to the movement he'd had to make at the last second, and with another arrow notched after he rolled to in order to try again, he still had no luck when dark orbs began to fire out of the cloud at a very quick succession, much too quick to be reflected back at Ganon using the Master Sword.

Link had to turn his shield up before he could aim, being pushed back across the ground with the force of the bursts into it. He wasn't being given the chance to use his arrows at all as, once he'd looked up from the attack of dark magic, he had to jump back quickly when the two swords Ganon held came out of the clouds again to swipe at him twice in a row, the first slice bringing them together, the second dragging them apart through the air.

Landing back toward the wall of fire, Link couldn't go any farther or he would be burned badly, and being forced into a corner now, he did exactly as he'd been trying to, taking aim at his enemy while Ganon began to bare down on him. The rock floor on which they stood was pounded beneath the hooves of his four legs, and Link steadily, as well as quickly, notched and aimed, able to see where Ganon's head was due to the red eyes glowing down at him from behind the barrier of dark magic surrounding the body. Without the time to spare, he let the weapon fly using the marker he'd found.

Link watched as the arrow flew into the barrier and then, though unseen by his eyes, hit the head of his enemy, knocking him back with a burst of light consuming his upper body and illuminating within the dark magic surrounding him for a moment, making it wisp away to give a clear sight of his enemy. Ganon's loud growl of anguish was followed by his movement backwards, giving Link the opportunity he needed. Sprinting swiftly toward his currently blinded enemy, ducking beneath a red orb that had tried to slam into him before reaching Ganon's side, he tore the Master Sword into the King of Evil with hard strikes. As his blood flew, Ganon let a loud growl of pain in response before turning one of his swords down toward the Hylian.

Link moved out of the way as quickly as he could and landed across from Ganon inside of the fire encompassed arena. When he did, he looked up just in time to another barrage of dark orbs which he was unable to escape completely before it slammed into him, knocking him even further back and near the fiery wall opposite from where he'd once been. With a loud grunt, Link could barely see, blinded by both the magic and the pain, before he witnessed one of the red orbs coming down toward him.

Without any recovery time, Link rolled to the side despite the pain wracking his body, allowing the magic to explode against the ground next to him. His vision was still blurry as well, leaving him vulnerable while he glanced back toward Ganon, able to see by the massive black blur that the barrier of smoke surrounded Ganon once more, and he was approaching Link with deadly intent in his red eyes.

Narrowing his brows and pushing himself up, Link invoked the energy his mother had granted him with to form his own barrier around himself, just incase he was attacked with more of the swiftly flying orbs of darkness since not only did they hurt fairly badly, but they also blinded him temporarily, but it was along enough to really cause a problem, since his own vision was only just then starting to refocus.

Seeing this, Ganon lowered his arm from raising it to attack, and stared for a moments.

"So," came his deep, ominous voice, "Myriad did not grant me all of her power as I'd believed. Now I see the reason Dragmire sealed her out of his affairs completely. No matter. Once you have tasted the might I possess, I will draw that energy from your lifeless body as well before I make all of this realm and the next bend to serve me. You shall be the centerpiece of that new world."

Link had notched another arrow, and in annoyance, he asked, "Are you going to talk all day, or show me your words have some meaning."

A low rumbling laugh sounded from the darkness Ganon had concealed himself in, followed by the lines, "Very well, if you're so eager to die."

With those words, Ganon stabbed a sword down into the ground where Link stood, only to find the Hylian moving back into a flip as the ground beneath him where he'd once stood was encompassed with a radiating black energy spreading across it. Coming down to land only a moment later, Link noticed the fiery walls surrounding the arena were starting to grow smaller and close in on the both of them as well. With this revelation, he knew it would be even harder to get a shot with his arrows at his enemy, and he had to find some room in order to do so.

Moving away from the closing wall of fire, and keeping up his pace, he used his speed to pass beneath Ganon's arm when Ganon had lifted it from stabbing his sword into the ground, and beyond an explosive red orb that had flown at him on his enemy's opposite side just before it could harm him. Ducking out of the way, Link came to and spun around swiftly. In his movement, he brought his bow up with a Light Arrow he'd held to charge in his hand along the way notched, waiting for Ganon to turn.

As soon as he saw the red light of the Evil King's eyes, he adjusted his aim and released his arrow, the weapon cutting through the air with accuracy, slamming into Ganon with a blast of light soon after.

Link repeated this action as often as possible, evading whatever attacks he could, and using his shielding to absorb other blows which he couldn't. But that barrier wouldn't last forever, growing weaker each time it was hit, which Link tried to help make it last longer by taking his dodges when he could get them. Still, the Light Barrier was eventually shattered, and Link almost barely had any chances throughout the course of his battling to use the Light Arrows he had in his possession. Ganon was ruthless, and if it wasn't a magical attack, Link had to dodge a swiped sword.

But when he did manage to get the Evil King's shielding to go down with the weapons he'd fired, he did all that he could trying to cause Ganon damage, tearing the Master Sword through him as hard and as swiftly as he could manage to do. After such an attack amidst the heat of the walls that had finally stopped closing in on them, tightening the space within the arena by only a few yards outside of his enemy in any direction, making it that much harder to keep his momentum.

But Link knew he wasn't the only one suffering. Ganon would grow angry and pound hooves into the ground, sending out a wave of darkness across the floor of the spire on which they stood, and with the limited space, Link didn't have much area of escape from the bursts.

It was after such an attack that Link landed and stabbed his sword into the ground for leverage, heaving in his breath, trying to recover.

Ganon was breathing much more heavily as well, having stumbled after the last blow landed on him, grasping his swords tightly. Seeing his enemy's compromised state, Link pushed himself forward and grasped his sword tightly, the blade glowing white as he yelled in his effort to attack the Evil King again. Ganon, having been trying to recover and refusing to let Link have an upper hand, drew his arm out to the side with a growled counter from the weapon he held, meeting it to the Master Sword to deflect the blow, the loud clash nearly deafening.

Simultaneously, as their blades met, a red orb that had started to follow Link slammed down onto both weapons, and the result, as the fires roared up and knocked Link back - half from his own attempt to avoid being burned - was to knock the Master Sword away from his hands and into a spin through the air, coming down toward the rocky floor of the spire.

Embedding itself there, lightening in the sky flashed, causing the lone sword to glint with black blood rolling down its blade while thunder rumbled behind it. Link grunted from the fall he'd taken and pushed himself up. He'd hit his head on the surface of the rock which he'd landed upon, and blood dripped down onto the surface beneath his hands and trailed across his brow. Hearing a laugh behind himself, he slowly looked back to see Ganon moving toward the weapon he'd lost.

Ganon held up his fist and charged his power, his own blood dripping down his arms a testament that he was not in perfect condition either. As Link watched him, a dark barrier began to encompass the hilt of the Master Sword, one which clung to the blade in a smoke much like the one Ganon hid himself within.

Link's eyes went wide with this turn of events, unable to retrieve his sword now, and glancing up, he listened while Ganon told him, "Now we shall end this," turning his large body to face the Hylian.

Without a sword to aide him now, Link wondered if the Light Arrows he'd been using would cause Ganon's barrier on his weapon to fade as he pushed himself to his feet, feeling almost naked without a means of physical attack in hand. But he had to focus on his enemy, moving when Ganon reared back to strike with the idea in mind of breaking the Evil King's barrier. As he went, he tugged his bow from his back along with an arrow he charged in the process of running. With little choice due to the close in space surrounding them, he moved close to Ganon, and then leapt forward when one of the blades in his enemy's hand almost clipped him.

Flipping forward, he pushed himself up and spun around. His magical energy was too faded for another barrier, and needing it for the arrows, he knew he couldn't use it again to reform it, so he watched for threats first before he took aim, ducking a red orb, then spotting an open area.

Link's speed was one of the best things he had going against Ganon, and ignoring the trail of blood running down his right brow and along his face, he started running toward that area just as Ganon retaliated by unleashing another barrage of dark magic down onto him, close enough that the orbs knocked up chunks of rock in their wake. Link rolled to the side under the flying debris, and knowing he had one chance now to get his sword back, he turned and aimed blindly. He couldn't wait for the King of Evil to look at him again in the close proximity, otherwise he'd lose his chance with the need to duck another attack, so he had to take his shot now.

Breathing in deeply, notching the arrow, he narrowed his brows in determination and fired it off, waiting for the outcome.

Nothing happened.

In actuality, though Link couldn't see it, he'd barely missed his target. Taking in his breath, deciding he'd have to repeat the same pattern again and find another open spot to fire, Link reached to his quiver and grasped at air. The feel of nothing hitting his fingers caused him to look back with wide eyes, able to see that he had no more arrows to use. A stone of disappointment crashed down inside of him like a weight all in itself. Looking ahead again, wondering for only a moment what his next option was, his thoughts were cut off by more laughter, this time raised in pitch as if highly amused, but very winded nonetheless.

Ganon had turned to see that Link was now left without a thread to cling to, found it highly amusing, and he drew both of his blades up with the chance to be done with his enemy once and for all.

"Witness now the fate you've tried so hard to prevent!"

The words called out, Ganondorf's blades began to spark, and he turned them with a harsh thrust of movement, jabbed them both into the ground. When this happened, dark energy began to consume the rocky floor in an area which Link could not escape, hitting his body and surging up through him with a pain he'd experienced once before, but one which made him tense so harshly, he could barely get out a breath, cringing hard before inevitably letting a yell of anguish.

That barrage of energy washed up and out of the floor after what felt like forever to Link, who then fell to his knees and over onto his hands. Too weak to hold himself up any longer, he fell against his cheek before Ganon, his blood dripping onto the rocky surface beneath him from his forehead and his mouth. His vision was blurry, but across from him, he could still see the Master Sword, standing there, the dark energy clinging to it, lightening flashing above the walls of fire around them, casting an ominous glow that seemed to echo out the evil circumstances of the turn of events.

Having looked to the side, gaining the sense of what was happening, Zelda's eyes went wide, looking up once again while she waited with Myriad below the top of the spire, whispering his name. He was hurt, and she moved forward, though there was no where to go, no way to reach him, and she felt Myriad's hands upon her shoulders, a concerned expression on her own face. Zelda couldn't help herself, yelling his name as loud as she could.

"_Link_!"

The sound distantly hit his pointed ears, his voice drawing out on a raspy breath, "Zelda...," and he forced his eyes to open while his enemy laughed mockingly down at him despite his own injured state of being. Ganon approached the fallen Hylian, his eyes leering down from behind the mask of dark energy he'd hidden himself behind, swords drawn and ready to land the final blow.

"Zelda?" He asked. "Considerate it kind of me to send her to see you, along with your mother, once you're dead. Zelda shall be my next trophy, and I'll mingle her blood with yours, after I allow her to see your broken corpse laid before her."

His laughter as he drew his blades up while Link tried to push himself to his knees was ignored, the sound of her worried voice the only thing echoing in his head, and it wouldn't let him rest even though he was in pain, images in his mind that he focused on there while magic swarmed above him to finish him off, unsure if he'd actually heard Zelda or hallucinated it all, but he could see her now, as a child, as the woman she'd become, remembered her face when she smiled and could see the pain on it from Ganon's words of the suffering he had planned for her.

Trophy? The words filled Link with rage, more any ever had in his entire life.

Ganon brought down his blades, charged with his power, to finish Link completely when the Hylian's eyes flashed white and the power that Myriad had gifted him with through Zelda began to explode from within his body. If Ganon wanted that power, then Link would give it all away so that he could claim it for himself, but it would no be from draining Link as he'd claimed to have wanted. It was all an act of defiance in the face of death rather than a tactic to preserve his life.

Releasing it from his very soul, he felt it surging forth with a powerful blast that was unexpected, one that knocked the transformed Evil King backwards and across the arena away from him. The light encompassed the both of them in the after effects, blinding briefly before fading away again with a whirr of sound into the distance.

Falling forward onto his arms again after having expended that energy, Link lifted his head slowly, breathing heavily, seeing that Ganon had fallen onto his side in the face of that released power which, in letting it go with such force before the final strike Ganon had prepared, caused Ganon's own magic to backfire upon himself, injuring him badly. Apparently, the outflow of power which had been contained for so long had prevented the final blow from being landed because of the strength it exuded which could not be interrupted. In turn, all the energy Ganon had gathered to attack with had to go somewhere, and so it had gone back to him, crippling him.

Link wasn't sure if fate was simply on his side, or if he was just extremely lucky. But he was glad for it, glad that he had the courage to do what he had to, whether in act of defiance or in an attempt to survive, and he took in another breath with surprise that he could actually perform the task once again. Turning his line of sight from the crippled King, his eyes drifted toward the last thing he was able to notice in that moment.

The Master Sword no longer had a barrier surrounding it.

Link wasn't completely sure he'd seen that right, but he wasn't taking it for granted. Pushing himself up, he slowly stumbled back to a knee, but then pushed on, moving with pained steps. In the corner of his vision as he worked his way to his blade, he spotted Ganon's form fading from him, heard his yell of anguish while he slowly transformed back into what he'd been before - a coward who hid behind the mask of power.

Link's body was worn and hurt, not broken completely but harshly battered, and still, in him, he could feel his drive as strong, if not stronger, than ever, finally reaching the Master Sword and wrapping his fingers around the hilt of the blade.

"How..._how_!?" Ganondorf rasped in his breath, the words stopping Link for just a moment, though he didn't look back at the fallen king, only listened to the words as his fingers grasped the hilt of his sword again, "It's not possible! I am stronger, and I will _not_ allow you to overcome me!"

It was automatic. Those words led to an attack in which Ganondorf used as much of his remaining strength as he could muster in order to turn and charge at Link with his blade. Having sensed this coming, Link pulled his own from the rocky surface it had embedded itself into before, and he turned around quickly in retaliation to thrust it forward.

The two of them stopped, thunder rumbling loudly to break the sudden silence as they stared at one another with loathing in their eyes, sneers on their faces, and anger burning between them. It all came to a halt at once, as if life itself had stilled as they stood with their blades held out to one another.

But it was Ganondorf's expression that faded first, the tip of the Master Sword jutting out of his back and covered in blood, his own weapon a few inches away from Link's side, having missed him by a very narrow amount when Link had turned around to stab him.

His blood began to spill over the front of Link's blade, and in seeing it, Link glanced up and told Ganondorf, "It _is_ possible. My courage doesn't make me hide behind my power like a pathetic coward."

With the words spoken pointedly toward the fact that in the face of death, Link had released the power he'd been gifted with fearlessly whether it worked or not, he ripped his blade from Ganondorf's chest before turning it in a hard swipe and cleaving the King of Evil's head completely from his shoulders, dethroning him in an instant. As it flew away and landed nearby, his body fell forward and slumped onto the ground, blood pouring from the hole of the neck and pooling around Link's boots. Breathing heavily, Link slowly stepped away.

Stumbling off to no where in particular, he heard a spark of energy behind him, and looked back to see a dome of magic rising out of his nemesis that was being released, then noticed that the fiery wall containing the arena was fading away. Somehow, he lifted his sword out of habit and sheathed it, the one thought he had being to move away before the power being released now could consume the area completely.

But while that power washed out and grew in force, Link felt his consciousness fading, no longer able to push on, and his head fell back a bit while he went down to his knees in his weakened state. As he tumbled forward, his eyes shutting while he went, somewhere, on the line of his blurring vision, he caught the sight of someone standing before him, reflecting in his eyes as a green aura just before his face hit the ground and darkness took his mind.

Standing over him, the entity he'd spied in his fleeting vision tilted a faceless head down toward him, no physical characteristics to mark any details that might distinguish her except for the color green, though the shape of the body was decidedly feminine. Without sound, the entity raised her head once again, glancing across at two other entities behind Link on each side, one red, and one blue.

The unleashing of Ganondorf's power suddenly lifted up in a powerful beam of light that shook the spire they stood upon, that power roaring over and against the entities surrounding Link's unconscious body now, protecting him from the force of the blast as it disintegrated anything that was left of Ganondorf. Taking the power back that had once belonged to this realm was no different than the effects as when Link had released his own, the difference of releasing it completely after being contained for so long and simply gifting it to another a vast one with effects that could harm mortals, taking it upon themselves to prevent the reaction from interfering with fate.

As the light began to fade away, the danger no longer present, the red entity shimmered and disappeared in the blinking of an eye first. The blue's form lingered for a moment, a glance given to the sister entity before she stretched out swiftly glinted away from sight, leaving the green entity standing there for a moment before she also stepped aside. Coming to a stop, she waved her hand over a bit of rock, a light forming up from it brightly, and then her body turned into tiny orbs which flickered away.

Down below, staring up at the spire where Link had fought beyond the clouds rolling over them, Myriad and Zelda both felt the trembling force shaking down through that tall structure, and witnessed the bright light that flashed at its peak. A moment of silence passed between them afterwards, and Myriad felt an essence returning to the realm that had been stolen ten years prior, followed by the power of the barrier sealing them where they were fading away. It was in revelation of this that she spoke, looking over at Zelda.

"Ganondorf's power has faded and he has been dethroned, Zelda. You must return yourself to Hyrule now, safely. I can retrieve Link."

Zelda shook her head at the Sage's suggestion, "No, I'm going to stay until we've gotten him back."

With a sigh, Myriad returned, "Zelda, your parents are awaiting you. I cannot risk your injury further by asking you to stay and aide me."

"Well," Zelda began, arguing logically, "I'm the Princess, and you were an advisor to the royal family, so I'll take it under consideration."

Slowly, a smile began to form on Myriad's lips with those words. Princess indeed, she considered. Finally nodding, she looked up and told the Princess, "Then, Your Highness, help me to reach the top."

Having planned on doing nothing less, the Princess looked up toward the top of the spire, no longer contained within the boundaries of magic the former Evil King had unleashed upon them. But when she did, she noticed something and spoke. "I...," Zelda started as they looked up, "somehow don't think that will be necessary."

The spire was sinking. Not only that, but it was unsteady, as if ready to crumble, and Myriad could definitely agree. The top would reach an attainable height soon enough, lowering beneath the clouds now. As it drew down toward the two Hylian ladies, Zelda took Myriad's shoulders in her hands once the top was a slight bit closer to them, and they both disappeared into a blue green shimmer.

At the peak of the spire where the final battle had been fought, they formed back into existence, and they both saw Link laying just beyond a portal of light. Moving toward him, Zelda pushed him over and he came to rest against Myriad's arm, and seeing his wounds, they both went to use their healing abilities on him.

Seeing Myriad, Zelda stopped herself and smiled, not wanting to deprive his mother of caring for her son, waving her hand, "Go on."

Smiling back, Myriad gave a nod and pressed her hand to Link's chest, filling him with healing energies again, strengthening him, and she heard him cough, turning his head to the side and away from her with the sputter of breath. Once he had, Myriad spoke softly, "Link? Can you hear me?"

"Wake up," Zelda added, patting his arm, "it's time to leave before this spire is destroyed. Can you walk?"

In his unconscious state still, Link whispered the name, "Farore?," in question, and Zelda looked over at Myriad in uncertainty.

"Farore? Why is he..."

It was in that moment that they glanced over toward the portal waiting to transport them, and Myriad tilted her head forward to see her son's face again in thought. When she did, she made a small smile, speaking, "The Goddesses were here," quietly, she added, "protecting fate from the forces of releasing the energy they caused." Looking over at Zelda, she added with a gently tone, "They smiled on us like you asked for."

Zelda gave Myriad a somewhat wide eyed look, trying to take in what Myriad had just suggested as her lips parted in surprise over it. Somehow it made sense that the Goddesses, in their infinite wisdom and strength, would know that, by their own actions, Link wouldn't be able to escape the blast that would have taken place, and been killed essentially by forces created of their own hands while they did what they had to and returned the power the King of Evil had lost to the realm it hailed from.

Looking down at Link with the revelation in mind, she reached for his cheek, nudging him again, "Link, wake up, we have to leave."

His eyes finally began to open as she continued to rouse him, and in doing so, seeing Zelda just ahead of himself, his mother next to him, he slowly gave them both a smile and asked, "It's over? Or was I just dreaming?"

"No," Zelda shook her head, "it wasn't a dream. It's over, as soon as we go through the portal, Link."

With a nod of his head after hearing this, Link pushed himself up with both of their help, stumbling a bit as the spire cracked again and the shaking got worse. Only looking back for a moment as they felt the entire structure begin to tilt sideways slowly in order to fall completely, they moved into the light that awaited them and let it transport them to...

Wherever the Goddesses had deemed fit.


	70. Reunion

_Chapter 69 - Reunion_

In the fields of Hyrule, the clouds that had festered above the lands began to break away, and with the evil no longer possessing a piece of the Triforce, the powers which turned the land into a desolate, barren place began to lift. Rays of light were shone in for the first time in a good, long while, lighting the landscape back into the daytime it was supposed to have been all along.

Blue skies set overhead once more, sending forth that light which transformed the fields back to the lush green that gave the kingdom its beauty. The evil which had possessed the creatures and monsters to roam about the land was washed away in the process, and in the fields, the Jackal Knights lost their power of darkness, returning to the men they once were. Not long afterwards, they surrendered to the ones who had overcome them.

In the Palace, the structures changed with the dark magic Dragmire and Ganondorf had once possessed faded away as well, the house of the royals returned to its former glory, and Hadinaru walked with his wife down the steps that led into the courtyard from the catwalk where many people had come outside to stand, watching the skies and the greenery returned to life.

Hadinaru watched the debris from crumbling structures and the cold granite walls fading away into the white marble they had been so long ago. The fountain that stood in the center landing between the two sets of stairs also returned to its previous state, a statue in the center of a fairy pouring water slowly from a jar beginning to work once again. The transformations showed them all just how different things had actually become over the course of Ganondorf's rule. It was almost uncanny to see, Hadinaru considered, unable to help feeling that way while he watched his home coming back to life.

Impa stepped down the steps behind them, and Nissandra couldn't help a smile after a few long moments of watching, looking toward her husband, then back at the Sheikah, saying, "It's all over. They've accomplished what they set out to do."

In thought, a smile came to the Sage of Shadow's lips, and she looked up at the blue skies and the sunlight, giving a slow, small nod of her head. Her arms folded over her chest, and she responded in confirmation, taking in a fresh breath as if it was the first she'd had in several long years, "Yes, the long journey through the darkness has finally come to an end."

Behind Impa where the people who had joined the Royals in the Palace in order to fortify their position, began to suddenly cheer loudly, and the sound made Impa grin along with the King and Queen in turn. Arden had stepped down toward Impa, a smirk settling onto his face when Impa glanced up and back at him, then saw the rest still cheering behind them both. All had been worn in the battle, but they'd managed to pull through, and though there had been casualties, as well as injuries, Impa knew that things could have ended up terribly worse, and they deserved their chance for cheering and celebration.

She herself felt as if her own businesses wasn't quite completed yet however. There was still the reunion of the royals, which Impa had always felt particularly responsible for, even if she'd only done what was best for the family. She could only hope that Zelda arrived soon, in order to give her the piece of mind that, at last, everything was being set straight. Then Impa would feel the need to cheer as the rest were, but still, the sound brought joy to her heart in the meantime. Lyonel wasn't present among them, as he'd left to find the Temple of Light. He himself felt the need to complete his own business like Impa who knew she couldn't feel completely rested until all of it was over with.

Hadinaru and Nissandra listened while the cheering slowly began to fade, and it was the King who spoke, "As much as I am thankful, I cannot help feel but inadequate as a ruler."

"Sire," Impa spoke, "you were here in the final hour, and did all that you could to house the injured. Had you been here longer, we know you would have done so much more."

From the back, someone shouted as if to add support, "All hail the true King and Queen of Hyrule!"

Looking back from their position on the steps they watched as everyone did so, and then respectfully dropped to a knee in a bow. Nissandra looked from them and up at Hadinaru, and while they bowed, she said, "No one is feeling that way, Hadinaru. I think they're all happy just to have you back."

"Don't cut yourself short," came a voice from the ones gathered, "We're happy you're back too, my lady."

People chuckled softly, and Hadinaru grinned up at the person who'd spoken the words, seeing the redheaded Betarro whom he'd never met before, and he turned around completely, calling back to them all, "We're glad we have so many whom thought of us, and support us. If I," he stopped and looked down for a moment in consideration of his words, then continued after a moment, "can amass such faith in someone..."

Trailing again, he looked back up to each person's face, slowly nodding his head as he gathered in the sight, wanting to remember them clearly. Finally, he finished with the meaningful words, "Somehow it all just seems like another dream. But if I am _still_ sleeping, then this time, I no longer feel the need to awaken."

"Hail!," many people called out, letting cheers for the words. As they did so, Hadinaru looked back at his wife when she spoke to him.

"I couldn't have said it better."

Giving her a smile, he turned with her to look back out at the small trees in the courtyard which would bloom apples in the springtime, trees which Nissandra had planted, and then at the rest of the view from beyond the short wall, Death Mountain rising over the Palace gates surrounding the yards in the far distance, its signature ring of smoke surrounding the peak easily spotted.

Everything was almost perfect.

"Where is she," Nissandra whispered exactly what Hadinaru had been thinking. "I'm so ready to meet my little girl."

Several moments passed, and a few of the people adjourned inside of the Palace to check on members of the revolt who had been injured and to further get things situated they way they should be. Hadinaru and Nissandra let them go, but Impa remained where she was, just as eager to see this finished as they were, Arden standing by her side, a few people talking amongst themselves on the catwalk above the stairs behind them, including Nabooru, Nissa, and Tenio.

Hadinaru sighed out his breath, unsure of where she could be, or her friend Link for that matter, and he looked at his wife to see her apparently daydreaming. For now, Nissandra would have settled on a sign that Zelda was alright, then she could have rested easily.

As she thought of this, it was at that moment that they heard a whirr emanating from the bottom of the steps in the courtyard. Everyone grew quiet in the wake of the noise, and looking down, they saw a figure forming there, taking the shape of a young lady who's visage had become well known in more recent times to them, one which made Nissandra gasp in her breath and cover her mouth, her husband's eyes going wide.

Zelda squinted a bit in the light of day after having been in such a dark atmosphere for so long, and she saw the people standing near the top of the steps above the statue of the fairy on the fountain, blocking her complete view. After she saw them, she smiled, but was a bit distracted when she realized where she was, unable to stop herself from gazing about at the transformation her efforts with Link and Myriad had caused in the Palace. She looked awed, taking it all in while lifting a hand to block out the light, and after her eyes did a once around, she looked back at Impa amongst her friends, but not her parents because of the statue on the fountain. She smiled brightly at the Sheikah.

"Impa! We've won!," Zelda called to her, and she gathered her skirts to make her way up the first set of steps to where the landing with the large fountain was located, and then around it. She'd intended to head to Impa and give her a hug, then ask about her parents, but she found herself coming to an abrupt stop instead when she saw two shadows cast down in her direction. She looked up quickly, the fountain's statue no longer blocking her view, and her smile faded, eyes went wide.

Hadinaru and Nissandra.

Her parents.

Zelda froze into place, unable to move, the visage of her mother and father standing before her making everything else seem to stop, her father's arm around her mother's shoulder who was staring down at her with tear streamed cheeks. Any previous thoughts she'd had completely melted away. Without realization, tears of her own began to flood from her eyes, and when Nissandra saw them, she could no longer keep herself standing still.

"Zelda!," her mother gasped out, moving toward her as Zelda reacted finally to the sound, hugging her mother tightly when they reached one another, the both of them sobbing through their tear filled reunion.

"Mother!," she cried, holding to her tightly, opening her eyes after a moment to see Hadinaru stepping in behind them. In spotting him, Zelda gasped, "Father!," and she tried to reach up to grab him at the same time for a hug, one which he returned tightly, holding both royal women in his arms.

"Zelda," Hadinaru whispered, leaning against the stone railing next to them, unable to mask the emotion in his voice, "My Zelda, my little angel."

Everyone who'd been outside watched the reunion taking place, and while they were smiling, they also felt humbled and somehow sad, on top of being privileged to witness this. Nabooru felt tears flooding her eyes over the sight, and standing next to her, Tenio patted her shoulder, making her smile at him while Nissa was with Impa, sitting on the Sheikah's shoulder, silently crying over the heartfelt scene.

Arden watched and felt a type of fulfillment he hadn't in a long time now, glancing over through the vision his amulet allotted him to see Impa, shedding a single tear. Quietly, he put his hand on her shoulder and let her lean up against him. He knew this made her feel much better, knew she had been longing to see this, and though he himself had forsaken the royals once, even as the man he'd become, he could still understand the emotion everyone felt.

Zelda was crying too hard to get out any words properly, trying to exclaim how happy she was to finally be with them. After a moment, she finally lifted her head and said, "I can't say it."

"You can't say what, darling?" Nissandra asked, a gentle hand against her cheek, wiping her thumb against the tears Zelda had shed.

"I thought I would be able to say how happy I was whenever I finally got to meet you. But I just can't. There's no way to explain it."

"Oh, Zelda," her mother replied, bringing her over to rest her head against her shoulder. "We'll find a way, we'll find some way to show it."

Hadinaru agreed with that stipulation, and he looked at the circlet his - what he was always refer to as - little girl wore, pointing it out to Nissandra. "She's wearing the circlet you had made for her, love."

Zelda lifted her head and looked up at him, finding it so strange to see so many similarities to her own face when she gazed at someone she'd never properly met before, his eyes the same color as hers, the same hair color, which was darker than Nissandra's with more auburn in it, and she whispered to them, "Bessa had it. She gave it to me to wear."

"Bessa?," Nissandra asked, seeming happy and surprised to hear the name, "I was hoping she was still around somewhere. Did she make that gown for you as well?"

Zelda nodded, saying, "Yes, from the designed she said you wanted," before looking between them both, finally asking, "Did my wearing it help?"

Slightly confused, Hadinaru asked, "Help with what?"

Zelda felt completely choked, and because of that, her words were a broken, tear filled whisper when she said, "Help you to know who I was? Because I was afraid you wouldn't."

With the newly falling tears she cried over the words, Hadinaru gathered her against himself in a tight hug, saying, "Zelda, shush now. We knew who you were the moment we saw you, and it had nothing to do with what you were wearing, or the fact that you appeared out of thin air. I know, we never got to see you growing up, our minds under the manipulations of _Dragmire_," he spoke the name angrily, "but without that influence, we would have scoured the kingdom to find you, and we would have known you the moment we saw you. We would have felt it in our hearts, as you would in yours."

Reassuring her with those words, she squeezed her eyes closed tightly, remembering the day when she was a child that the announcement had been made that the King and Queen were dead. She hadn't known then, though she'd felt badly over hearing the news, that her parents were being spoken of, but she also knew that lies were clouding all truths back then as well. She got the feeling she knew what he meant exactly. If she'd seen them for the first time as a little girl, she would have just known somehow, been curious over it, and she sighed in her breath deeply, comforted by the thought tremendously.

"_Alright Mira, you can open your eyes."_

"_What is this? It's pretty."_

"_Well, it was your parents. I think, now that you're six, you're old enough to understand the meaning behind it. I was told to keep it safe, and secret, and I think you should have it now."_

"_From my real parents?"_

"_Yes, your real parents. I don't think they really wanted to lose you, so you might be able to meet them one day. But you can't let anyone know about the necklace, because we don't want anything bad to happen, like having it stolen, since I know it's a real gem."_

"_Okay, Alma. But what about Link, can I show it to him? Did he get something from his mommy and daddy too?"_

Zelda's mind came back to the present after remembering that conversation with Alma. It was the same day she'd run outside, only to find Link caught in the chicken coop being stampeded. The memory made her smile, and she told her parents, "Somehow I know that I would have."

In those first few moments, with her parents, she couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction she hadn't had yet, a joy that was one she knew she'd dreamt of but hadn't yet experienced. She hugged them more tightly, and in doing so, she thought of the reason for all of this happening.

Link. He hadn't been there when she'd arrived. She could only wonder where he'd gone to. With Myriad no doubt, but she wished he were there so she could hug him for helping her to get to this point as he had. For all of the things he'd done, and tell him once again just how much she loved, and would always love him.

Impa herself felt a great deal of gratitude to the Hylian who'd taken up the Master Sword and delivered the lands from the evil grasp that had taken it. Looking up when a cold winter breeze blew over them as she rested against Arden, Impa gazed in the direction that the Temple of Light was located in. She knew, somehow, that Myriad was here again, knew as well that Link must have been with her, and all felt completely right once more. Turning her face, she pressed her cheek to Arden's chest, and heard him saying quietly to her, "Now we need those scrawny arsed Hylians to show up so we can all celebrate."

The words made Impa grin despite her stoic nature, and she hugged him more tightly.

---

While the royals were having their reunion, in the forests of the Lost Woods where the pedestal that had held the Master Sword safely stood, two Hylians formed into being standing upon it much the way Zelda had in the courtyard of the Palace. Taking their shape, Myriad and Link both looked to see where they'd been taken, and Myriad spoke, "How fitting. The Master Sword's resting place where this all started."

Link, looking down at his mother, turning to face her, nodded his head with a smile forming on his lips. There was still blood staining his brow, and both of their clothing had been dirtied in their recent efforts, but they felt fine, even more than that.

Finally they could reunite the way they should have been able to before, and Link just reached out to hug her without question, hearing her soft laughter which made him grin in turn. They were here, she was here, it was all over. He had her back, and things were set right.

The grin started to slowly fade from his lips as those thoughts began to settle into his mind, and he felt weak in the knees. Everything that had been done, all of the fighting, the traveling, the worry and yearning and waiting, all of it had finally paid off. His mother was here now. All that she had done for him, how much she loved him, the thoughts crashed into him like a boulder, and he found himself kneeling onto his knees before her in the wake of the emotions.

It was all over.

"Mother...," he drew out on a breathy tone, hugging her tightly, his head against her lower chest and upper abdomen as Myriad wrapped her fingers against the back of his head, into his hair, cradling him against her.

"It's all over Link, and I'm here now," she whispered, taking in a shaky breath through her own tears, "I'm here, happier than I've ever been. I never wanted to give you up, and I'll never do so again. For as long as you live, and no matter where you go, you will always be _my son_."

He hugged her more tightly, his face buried against her robes, finally allowing himself the freedom to give in to the need to cry, both out of happiness as well as the sorrow for having never known her before. All at the same time he felt those things, on top of a certain fatigue from the burden that had been placed upon his shoulders finally lifted. He couldn't have stopped himself from shedding the tears if he'd wanted to.

He released his grip a little and sat back when he felt her shifting, allowing her to lower herself before him, reaching to his cheeks to wipe away his tears. The ability to care for her son finally, the way she'd always wanted to, to be able to hold him again and soothe him was all a dream finally come true. Following the motions, she moved to lift her arms, gently pulling him back to rest his head against her chest and shoulder.

"You'll always be _my mother_," he replied to her, "even when I didn't know you."

They grew silent with those words exchanged, hugging one another tightly, Link finally learning what it felt like to be comforted by his true mother, and Myriad reminded of how good it felt to hold her son, and have him seek her for warmth when he was conflicted with emotion. It was the perfect setting as well, with the rays of light shining through the gently wind blown limbs of trees, the soft sound of leaves rustling and birds softly chirping helping the both of them to calm down from their emotional spins.

Finally, Link lifted his head up, and looking over at her, the gentle smile that had formed upon her lips, he said, "I hope I didn't scare you."

"No," Myriad shook her head slowly, "I was worried of course, well, scared yes, but somehow I knew it couldn't end the way I was fearing. Not after all that you'd survived already. I've been blessed with quite the capable son," she smiled at him.

Finally, he smiled back at her, giving her a slow nod of his head. Hearing she had so much faith in him made him feel better than he'd thought it might have. But it was then that she looked to the side thoughtfully, saying, "Zelda, however, seemed to become quite fretful."

The words made him suddenly consider her, and Link lifted a brow, then looked about quietly in confusion. "Wait, where was she taken?"

"To her parents," Myriad replied and smiled, "where the Goddesses sent her."

Where the Goddesses sent her. That struck a chord with him, and looking down thoughtfully, Link shook his head, "It's funny you said that. I know it sounds strange, but, I could have sworn on my life, before I passed out," he looked back at her face, "that I saw someone up there with me, and I felt, even though I knew I could have been killed, extremely completed when I did."

The words drew a slow smile to Myriad's lips. Nodding as the winds picked up her hair, lifting it over her shoulders, she told him, "They were there, ensuring that fate was properly served."

Gazing at her quietly, Link almost had the urge to ask her how she knew so much, but then he remembered the tale. Spending so much time under the watchful gaze of a divine relic probably told her much more than possessing it ever could. Which, he considered, was why some things just weren't meant to be held in your hand or grabbed for.

So instead of asking, he nodded and trusted her judgement as she'd trusted his ability. If he had been in the immediate presence of the Goddesses, or if he hadn't been, it didn't matter to him, as he felt in no manner that he'd done anything remotely significant enough, even with all he'd done, that would warrant their intervention of saving his life. They were not there for him, but simply for fate, as Myriad had suggested, and he knew that it would be something he could keep for himself, within his soul, for as long as he lived.

With that unspoken knowledge flowing between them, they both heard their names called, and looked over in the direction it had come from.

Moving in from the distance and releasing the reigns of his horse, Lyonel called out, "Link, Myriad!"

"Lyonel," Myriad whispered, and Link didn't hesitate in helping her to stand up again, allowing her to go to her husband and his father with a sudden smile on his face as she called out to him, "Lyonel!"

Lyonel didn't stop moving until he'd reached her, taking her tightly into his arms. "Myriad," he whispered, his years of mourning breaking away over him slowly with a tremor that moved through him. Taking in his breath, he squeezed his eyes shut, his own tears rolling down his cheeks.

Link watched his parents reuniting and he smiled. It was good to see, more than good, he couldn't really explain the feeling properly. But while he considered it, thought about all that was happening, he glanced up when a breeze hit his hair, and thought of one more reunion that hadn't taken place yet. It would be done soon though, and for now, with that promise in his mind, he looked back at his parents to see the kiss they'd began to share was ending.

These were his parents, and they loved one another. They also loved him. All he could do was watch and think about that.

Lyonel glanced up slowly after having kissed his wife to see Link standing there, and Myriad turned around. "Link," his father called to him, and Link just grinned and move toward them both.

Lyonel couldn't help smiling at his son as he came over, the three of them unifying, and Link kissed his mother's head properly, showing his affection for her. Lyonel watched, and with one arm around Link's back, the other around his wife's, he asked, "Are you okay?"

Link looked over at him, and then at Myriad quietly, silent tears still rolling down her cheeks. Seeing her, staring at her face, her hood back, long blonde hair rolling freely down her arms, then glancing back to his father's face, he finally nodded and said, "Everything's perfect, Father."

Myriad couldn't contain herself any longer, and she grasped them both in a tight hug, one which made them grin through the tears shed. Lyonel couldn't have said how happy he was to have his family back together again, his hand on his wife's back to gently rubbing while she whispered how badly she'd missed them both. Though tear filled reunions seemed to have become an odd theme of the day, somehow all three felt they'd earned the right to cry as much as they felt they needed to.

Still standing close, finally breaking apart just a slight bit, Link allowing his parents to be closer together since they'd only just met once again, Myriad glanced up at Lyonel's face, and then at Link's as if regarding them both before telling her son, "You've become so handsome. Just like your father."

The words had him smirking, his looks something he'd heard he had a good bit of before, but hearing it from his own mother was a lot different, and somehow refreshing. Looking over from her and to his father, then back to her again, he finally got out the words, "I don't know what to say now. I have you both here with me like I've always wanted, and after dying for this day to come, I don't know what to say."

"Neither do we," Lyonel grinned with a shake of his head, the humor much needed. Link snickered softly, watching his mother turn to look at her husband with a smile of her own, but a curiosity in her eyes.

"Lyonel," she started in question, reaching for the hood he wore in order to push it back, but he reached for her hand to stop her. Seeing this, she tilted her head even more inquisitively and asked, "What happened?"

"A fight with Dragmire when he returned from sealing you inside of the Sacred Realm," Lyonel informed her, seeming none too thrilled about the tale, "I'd rather you not see it."

Myriad lifted a single brow at him, a look he'd never forget the meaning of, which was to say she would get what she wanted one way or the other, and she gently took her hand from his. "I, however, insist that I must."

Lyonel didn't look entirely happy, but he let her lift the hood back. In doing so, she revealed the scars left by the fight, his damaged ear, and she gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry, my love. This is all my doing."

"No," he shook his head quickly, giving her a look of his own that meant he was completely serious, "your doing allows me to still breath, Myriad. Never doubt that."

Hearing the words made her give him a grateful, sympathetic smile, and she reached up her right hand slowly, planting it on her husband's cheek gently, covering his ear. A light pulsed forth from beneath her palm and against his skin, one which felt warm, glowing more brightly over time, until she pulled her hand away. When she did, the scar was gone, and his ear was reformed properly. Lyonel narrowed his brow in feeling this, and reached up, giving his wife a grateful look.

"You didn't need to do that."

"No, I know," Myriad replied, laying her head on his shoulder, "but I wanted to."

Smiling, Link looked at his father whose face was now devoid of the ugly mar it had shown before, and he gave Lyonel a smile. "You look good. Almost like a refined version of me."

The words made Lyonel grin with a softly chuckle, Myriad also snickering with a bright smile, then he reached over and hugged his son and his wife at the same time again. As the three of them embraced, they somehow knew that they were heading toward much clearer skies now.

It was several moments later that they were helping Myriad to mount the horse that Lyonel had brought along, ready to leave for Hyrule now. Once she was settled atop the steed's back, Lyonel looked from her and to Link before he asked, "Are we all set?"

Link thought about that for a moment, and he looked back toward the pedestal where this had all began. Empty now, quiet, he shook his head slowly. "Not just yet."

Myriad glanced over at him when he said that, and she watched him begin walking away from the horse, stepping onto the pedestal while pulling his sword from its sheath. The movement told her all that she needed to know, and, holding Lyonel's hand as his father looked on, she smiled to be able to observe this.

Link looked at the blade that had aided him through all of his struggles, watched it glint in the sunlight coming in through the trees, and in his mind, he told the powerful weapon, _Thank you, but I hope I don't have to ever see you again if the peace you've brought to me is as strong as you are_.

Looking on, his parents watched their son turn the blade down in both of his hands, and push it back into the pedestal from whence it came, releasing it where it would stand sentinel in the light, his own testament to the fact that evil no longer festered in these lands. Its purpose served, the Master Sword came to rest for, hopefully, a good, long time.

Link turned and left the blade where it was, and, with his parents, he left the Lost Woods. The path they walked was clear, despite the cursed forest's name, a path that led them back to the true kingdom, and more importantly, Link considered to himself, back to _her_.


	71. Legacy of Myriad

_Chapter 70 - Legacy of Myriad_

Zelda stood on the catwalk overlooking courtyard with her parents. They were content to catch up, to speak amongst themselves over everything, wanting to hear about their daughter, come to know her, all the while apologizing for their failures, an apology Zelda wouldn't stand to hear them profess. Impa, who stood with them, agreed with Zelda that it wasn't their fault.

"I," Zelda started, "I'm here now. That's all that matters. We're together, and we can be what we should have always been now, can't we?"

"Of course," Hadinaru told her completely seriously, his hand on her shoulder while he nodded. Shaking his head, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek, then added, "You are the only thing I have ever lost that I would charge my entire kingdom to find again. When we realized we'd been under the control of Dragmire for so long, and that you were seven before we figured out the truth, I was ready to wage war just because I was so angry I'd lost so much time with you. Now that damage had been increased, but it will never be great enough to keep us apart if we're here now."

Nissandra gave her agreement while standing behind her daughter, combing her fingers through her hair lovingly. Zelda smiled at her father while he spoke and while her mother seemed content to pay her so much attention, one which she wouldn't have turned down at all. She looked around while she thought of this, took in the scenery quietly to herself in consideration. "I still can't believe how different it all is now. For most of my life, I remember there being a dark cloud to the northern skies of the Kingdom, and now it's all so pristine." Sighing out a breath of fresh air, she looked back up at Hadinaru and told him, "There...should be a celebration. A festival perhaps. Because of all of the good that's come about."

"Hmm," Hadinaru drew out as he thought over the idea, "interesting. I was just considering the same thing. Nissandra," he started, looking at his wife, "you're the festive one, what do you believe?"

Nissandra smirked with a soft snicker on her breath over being the called the festive one, and she looked down when Zelda turned her face up, saying, "I don't think a festival that lasted a week would be long enough, but it would be a start."

Hadinaru chuckled over her joke and Impa smiled, but Zelda took it to heart, her eyes growing somewhat wide, "That's a wonderful idea, Mother!"

"Oh? I was jesting," Nissandra blinked her eyes, then she chuckled before asking, "What's the idea again?"

"Well, we could have a week long festival, one that started every night at sundown. Of course, the time of year is a bit cold, but I'm sure the people wouldn't mind considering what the kingdom has been through."

Impa grinned, lifting her head in a notion of agreement as she told her lord and lady, "She's right. I think that sounds like a good plan."

"_I_ think," Hadinaru replied, emphasizing the word, "she's my daughter so all of her plans are good." He gave them a suspicious look, telling them he was in high spirits in that moment and simply being prideful, and he smiled upon hearing Zelda's soft snicker of amusement. With that sound, he added, "But in the meantime, Zelda, I'm curious about this friend of yours, this Link. You said you two grew up together, and you seemed rather fond when you spoke of him. How close are you to him again?"

Zelda had already mentioned a good bit of Link to them while they'd conversed, and the reason she hadn't adjourned inside just yet was because she wanted to be there whenever he arrived. She knew she was probably being very obvious about it, especially since it was cold outside and they could all have been sitting by a fire, but at the same time she just couldn't help herself, not after the fear she'd experienced for him in the Sacred Realm, and the fact that she just wanted to thank and hug him above all else for what he'd done for her.

Impa knew the truth as well, understood why Zelda tilted her head forward a bit shyly, as well as quietly, when her father asked how close they were. So the Sheikah told her comfortingly, "Don't worry, Zelda, just tell them the truth."

Zelda, biting her lip, slowly glanced up at the Sage of Shadow, then at both of her parents while they gave her inquisitive looks, and she finally took in a breath and said softly, "I love him."

The news made the King and Queen exchange a somewhat wide eyed glance between one another, and once they'd done so, they looked back at Zelda. Seeing the look, she went on in explanation. "We didn't mean for it to happen, but, well, I guess being as close as we were, it just did."

Nissandra raised her hand and shook her head, silencing her daughter before she could go on, "We're not angry, sweetheart. Well," she amended, "perhaps your father is." After making the suggestion, she lifted a brow and looked at Hadinaru.

The Hylian King simply snorted and pursed his lips, lifting a single brow. "No one's good enough."

Nissandra stared at him blankly, then she started laughing, and Hadinaru cracked a grin of his own, seeing that Zelda actually looked relieved that he was joking. Chuckling over it, he patted his daughter's back gently, then told her more seriously, "If you're in love with him," he then added on a slight question, "and he loves you as well, then we'll grant our blessings. Wait," Hadinaru looked at his wife, then at Zelda, "you two haven't decided on a marriage or anything, have you?"

"Oh, no," Zelda rushed out and cleared her throat, "well, we married in the Goron City, but that was _before_ we fell in love. Or, at least, before we knew. And yes, he does love me too."

The news, specifically about the marriage in the Goron City, made Hadinaru clear his throat, replying with the words, "Apparently we have much story time ahead of us."

Zelda cringed a little, though she smiled as sweetly through it as she could, and seeing the expression, Hadinaru sighed out dejectedly, "Oh no."

"What?," Nissandra asked, looking from Zelda and back to him again.

"She has that look like you've got when you want something. It's sweet and I can't say no."

Nissandra had started snickering, and Hadinaru looked completely annoyed. Zelda tried to keep herself from suddenly grinning, but she couldn't help it and reached up to hug her father. With a little smile on his lips, he chuckled and returned the hug, patting her back.

"So, it's not a," Zelda waved her hand in thought of the words before she backed up from him a bit, adding, "completely bad thing?"

"No, why, did you think we would arrange a marriage for you?" Nissandra asked the question, adding, "If you two love one another, then it can't be helped. Granted, there may be some tension once the courts are in place, but I doubt that tension will be severe at all considering what he's done for everyone."

Zelda sighed out her breath in tremendous relief, glad to hear her mother saying that. She couldn't help it after all, since somewhere inside she knew that she was still worried about the implications her being in love with her childhood friend would have on her station as the Princess. With the thought in mind, she explained it, "We were both worried about it because I was supposed to be royalty. Neither of us knew if loving one another was a good idea, and we tried not to for a while, tried to ignore it. But it didn't really work the way we wanted it to I suppose."

Hadinaru snorted in amusement, and Zelda also saw her mother smiling, as if they both knew something she didn't. In response to the looks, Zelda suddenly asked, "What!?"

"Well, love isn't that easy to ignore. I was arranged for your father," Nissandra started, "so we only met a few weeks before we were to be wed, and he was stubborn and pigheaded and kept denying he had any feelings as time passed. He was the man, the warrior, hard and determined, and completely impervious to love."

Hadinaru scratched his head, asking, "Do you really have to bring that up?" Seeing the look on his face, slightly sheepish and even cute in a way despite his wise, weathered look, Nissandra started laughing softly. The sound made him grin, and he looked at his daughter, giving in with a nod. "She's right. It didn't take me long to fall, and that's why I was so mad. I thought it would take longer, and I tried to ignore it, but low and behold, that didn't precisely work. As I recall, I fell so harshly, I had to find her in order to propose properly."

Zelda was wide eyed over the story. "You mean you were already married, but you wanted to ask her yourself anyway?"

Hadinaru seemed to think it over, the reluctantly nodded. "Perhaps."

Slowly, a grin began to form on Zelda's lips, and she wondered how it could be that she'd been so unlucky not to know this man all of her lifetime, getting the feeling he would have probably doted and be fiercely protective while her mother would have yelled at him not to spoil her. It brought a smile to her lips, and she reached out to take his hand. Once she'd done so, she whispered to him confidently, "Don't worry, Daddy, your secret is safe with me."

Nissandra snickered, listening to her husband chuckling out the words, "That's my girl." Brushing her cheek with the back of his knuckles and a gentle smile, he finished, "Now all that we need to do is be properly introduced to this young man of yours, and find out if he's worth my daughter's time."

Impa had grinned while listening to their talking, and she looked out at the courtyard when she thought she heard something. Tilting her head to see over the light of the sun lowering in the sky slowly, she saw three Hylians heading toward the yards from the gate of the courtyard, one of them she had not seen in ages, dressed in a white, ornate robe. While the sight made her take in a deep breath, she simply commented, "Speaking of Link."

The royals looked down toward the base of the courtyard at the bottom of the steps. Coming to stand there was Myriad and Lyonel who smiled up at them, and Hadinaru, in spying their faces, yelled, "Myriad! Lyonel!"

In his greeting of them, the King blinked when Zelda suddenly moved past him, calling out the name, "Link!," and he watched her moving down the steps quickly, then looked down further to see in turn that their son also moving up them, calling her name in the process. But that wasn't the most surprising thing. As they watched, their faces a bit blank in seeing this, Zelda didn't even take the time out to run around the fountain, and instead, she went through the water in the pool.

Link seemed to also not care to go around it, simply heading toward her, the both of them meeting in the pool and hugging in tight embrace before they slumped to their knees with the relief of their waiting to see one another again finally over.

"Link...," she whispered, feeling like she couldn't get close enough, digging her fingers into the back of his green jerkin and squeezing him as tightly as she could. "Link, I was so worried about you."

"I know," he replied, pressing his face against the side of her throat, inhaling the scent of her hair as he spoke, "I felt the same way. I couldn't wait to get back here to see you."

His hold was tight around her, and she was completely thankful for it, didn't care if he squeezed the life out of her, as long as he was squeezing her. She was trembling, and not just because of the cold water around their legs which she didn't care about at that moment, lifting her head back to give in to what she wanted the most, and Link wasn't far behind her, kissing one another deeply. Both of them completely forgot about their audience, even as their parents walked toward the fountain on either side of them slowly.

Seeing the kiss, Hadinaru raised a brow and looked at Impa, asking her, "What did you teach her, exactly?" In response, Impa immediately cleared her throat and turned around to walk away as if in deep trouble. Nissandra smacked Hadinaru's arm and rolled her eyes, even as Hadinaru snorted in amusement over the situation.

It was about that time that Arden and a few others had rounded the gates of the courtyard from putting the horses, including Epona and Frost, into the stables, and Arden had regained his normal vision completely, both of his eyes working perfectly now. He'd been ready to go and actually see Impa again with Myriad's rare knowledge at work to cure his disability, when he stopped, Nabooru, Tenio, and Nissa doing the same just behind him, all of them seeing this. Arden was the one to comment however, cringing as he said softly amongst them, "Way to get a ticket to the guillotine, kid."

From behind on the catwalk, a few more people had emerged quietly when they heard the shouting, simply wanting to see what was going on. Among them was Dorrel and his friend Olnor.

With the kiss between the Hylians finally breaking slowly, Link was about to ask her if she was fine or not when he suddenly heard the strongly spoken words, "You'd better not allow my daughter to get sick in that cold water, boy, or else there'll be payment due to me."

Zelda saw Link's eyes go wide, and he looked up to see the King of Hyrule, but more importantly, her father, staring down at him. Looking down then when the words registered and seeing the water of the fountain completely soaking them from their knees down, Link moved suddenly and lifted Zelda out of the pool quickly. Turning, he carried her toward the landing of the stairs and set her down on her feet.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," he rushed out as he went, "forgive me!"

Hadinaru, still giving Link a somewhat hard stare while taking his actions in, pursed his lips slightly and walked over toward him. He heard his wife whispering his name from behind and he waved a hand back at her to tell her to be quiet for a moment, stern expression still hardening his features.

Myriad, standing near by as the King approached her son, somehow had the feeling she didn't have too much to worry about, tightening her hand on Lyonel's arm before he could move. The action drew his attention and a raised brow when he'd been about to try to defend his son, and then he thought better of it. This was Hadinaru, and he just smiled, having become protective simply because he'd never had the chance to before. Myriad smiled back at him and waited to see what their royal friend would say.

The young Hylian cleared his throat and held his head forward in respect to the ruler of the kingdom, as well as Zelda's father, and listened when the man stopped before him and began to speak.

"You are the son of Myriad and Lyonel, are you not?"

After asking him to formerly identify himself, Link nodded, "Yes, I am."

He thought he was about to be reprimanded severally, but instead, the King spoke the words, "Then, Link," he stopped before he reached for Link's shoulder, "all of Hyrule is greatly in your, and my daughter's, debt. You have saved her life on several occasions and brought her back to me, saved my life and that of my wife, as well as rid us of the tyranny that we'd all fallen under. I wanted to see better the man I was so indebted to before I gave him my gratitude. I am at _your_ service."

With a soft gasp, Link looked up to see Hadinaru bending down on his knee, bowing his head forward respectfully. Wide eyed, Link was about to tell him to stand back up, but he was stunned when Nissandra followed suit near him, and then Lyonel and Myriad also did the same. At the landing of the steps in the courtyard, as well as on the catwalk above, those that had come to the scene also bowed in respect with the King's words.

Link was completely shocked, and he looked over at Zelda when she took his hand, knowing how he hated to be in the spotlight, so she offered him comfort in that fashion, squeezing his fingers in hers. She wanted him, despite his humility, to have this moment, giving him a warm smile. Leaning up she kissed his cheek when no one was looking with their heads bowed, and Link finally gave her a smile in return, thinking he might've actually been about to blush. But he shook his head before that could happen.

"My Lord," he started, looking down at the bowed King, "I'm flattered, but that's not necessary. I only did what I was meant to. A horse isn't really commended for being a horse after all, is it?"

Hadinaru lifted a brow and then looked up, standing once again. In doing so, he asked, "A horse?" Slowly, he shook his head at Link seriously, adding, "If you were one, you'd be a purebred of the finest quality, and as I recall, those are commended all of the time. You, young man, are much more than just a horse."

Link cleared his throat and raised a hand to the back of his head, brushing his fingers through his hair nervously. Seeing the humility on his face as everyone began to stand once again, Hadinaru smiled, "You'll be rewarded for your efforts. Though, in the future, try not to make my daughter lose her composure."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

They became quiet for a moment, and once they had, hearing what they'd both just spoken, Link had to slowly grin. The sight drew a laugh out of the King, and they both began chuckling softly. Snorting over his amusement, Hadinaru finally replied, "Call me Hadinaru, I think we'll be speaking much more closely in the future."

"I'll try," Link said, unsure if he'd remember to do that at first or not. But he looked over when he spied some movement from another person. Stepping forward, Myriad tapped the King's shoulder quietly. When he looked over as saw her smiling up at him, he threw up a hand and then reached for her, showing just how close the two of them actually were. They hugged tightly, and Lyonel smiled at the sight, shaking the King's hand instead of bowing to him because they too were good friends.

Nissandra and Myriad also hugged, and amidst the reunion of family and friends, for the first time in a long while, birds flew through the skies, a sight that drew Zelda's attention away from the socializing. Link noticed her looking while their parents spoke, and when he glanced up to see the birds, not worried about being overheard, he asked, "Are you really alright, Zelda?"

The question made her smile, slowly nodding her head. Turning to look at him, her fingers threading through his when their eyes met, she whispered softly, "I was actually just thinking of Kakariko again, of where we started, especially seeing them like this."

"Do you miss it?"

She thought about that, then tilted her head. "Somewhat. But," looking back to his eyes, she finished her thought, "I have you and my parents, and I wanted that more."

Link smiled at her gently, looking back toward their parents as Zelda did. Myriad was explaining to Hadinaru their ride to Hyrule Palace from the Lost Woods, and Nissandra told them about how Zelda had arrived in the courtyard. Hearing them speaking as they were somehow made both Link and Zelda feel a type of warmth they knew they'd missed growing up, as if they might've been children again standing there, watching what they'd always been curious about and had discussed between one another at night before bedtime - what knowing their parents would have been like.

Were they friends? Did they know one another at all? If only one had living parents, would the other child's parents take them in? These had all be considerations between the two children who'd often felt that they'd only had one another, even with Alma around, and able to see now that their parents were actually good friends somehow depressed them. It made them wonder why this had to happen, why they couldn't have seen this together before.

They continued to stand close while listening, hand in hand, watching their parents smile while they spoke and laughed. Link put his arm over Zelda's shoulder like he might have when he was a child, their hands together in the same fashion, and Lyonel seemed to catch onto their looks. He turned his head in response and walked toward them, placing a hand on Link's shoulder while giving his son a curious look.

"Are you alright?"

Slowly, Link shook his head, "I'm not sure, Father."

The question had gotten the other's attentions, and as they looked over to their children, Nissandra asked Link, "What's bothering you?"

Looking at her, and then at the rest of them waiting curiously to see what was wrong, before finally looking at Zelda. Her expression matched his own, one of sorrow and some type of longing, perhaps that to be a child again so they could start all over. It would never happen, they both knew that, but he couldn't blame her at all. Link spoke for her after he considered how to put it correctly.

"We both...," he stopped because he felt a flood of emotions threatening to make him shed tears again, and he tried to hold that back, knowing if he let Zelda explain, she'd become just as emotional, and he hated seeing her crying. "We're happy to see you," he started again, his tone quiet, "and watching you now after all the nights we wondered together what you were like, we're sad that we missed out on knowing you when we were growing up."

Zelda had lowered her head to his shoulder with a few fresh tears when he'd said that, and Myriad was the first to react. She couldn't stop herself, taking a breath in and stepping toward him in order to hug him and as well, she reached for Zelda.

As she held onto them, and Nissandra also went to Zelda's side, Myriad took in her breath softly and said, "You are still our little ones at heart." Combing her fingers through Link's hair, she added, "While we missed you, we have to remember that you both didn't even have the privilege of knowing who we were. I fear this makes things harder on you than on us. But we are here now, and together the way it should have always been. I don't think you'll ever grow up in our eyes."

Link somehow liked hearing her talk. Even though her words always came about as wise, they were somehow comforting, and very motherly. He hugged her tightly, let her comfort him the way he'd always wondered she would do, and listened when Nissandra added, "Hadinaru and I didn't know our true child's identity for a long time. It is hard to realize exactly what you'd missed when it call comes crashing back to you. I feel as if we both can relate."

Zelda, lifting her head up to look at her Mother, leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I think we'll be fine, Mother," she started, "we just need to spend lots of time with you."

The words made them all smile, Hadinaru nodding in agreement, and Lyonel replied, "I find myself the most fortunate out of us all. I managed to meet them again over a month ago."

"You are a lucky one," Hadinaru informed him, "able to meet them both before any of us, as well as help them on their quest. Though, I can't imagine that was a walk in the part, keeping the secret that you had to."

"No, that part was harder than anything I've ever had to do. But being able to be there for them when they needed me before we could free the three of you, I feel very fortunate to have seen that. I look forward to getting to know our families now, because I think their bonds will be nearly unbreakable."

"That legacy," Myriad started, seeming to consider her thoughts as she looked up at Lyonel, then at the other four surrounding her, taking each of their faces in quietly. Nodding her head as if she knew exactly what she wanted to say upon looking at them, she finished, "Our legacy _will_ be a powerful bond. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and with the absence we've all shared a hand in, our bonds are made of absolute steel."

"Hear, hear," Nissandra smiled.

Link grinned, then asked his mother playfully, "Would that be the legacy of Myriad?"

Myriad started laughing softly, and she waved her hand at him with the words, "Hush, you silly thing."

They chuckled, and not too long afterwards, adjourned inside where it was much warmer, especially in the evening light. But Link was right. It was her legacy, he was her legacy, as well as her family and friends. Power, Wisdom, and Courage were just aides, tools to do what was needed, but the real binding force of everything, the one that gave the power, wisdom, or courage to do what you needed, or even to destroy, was love. Love enough to be able to hate, or love enough to cherish.

That was the legacy of Myriad, the message, as Link thought it all over, which she'd sent out to them.

---

Zelda couldn't sleep.

The bedroom she'd been given in the Palace was indeed lovely. She had a canopy bed, a good amount of space that she thought might have been even bigger than her home back in Kakariko, and the room even had its own balcony with a very lovely view facing the direction of Death Mountain and beyond it. The covers were comfortable, the pillow was soft, and she had a nice set of bed clothes made of a lavender colored silk to wear, complete with a robe to keep her warmer on top of a fire burning in the hearth of the fireplace. But still, she simply couldn't sleep.

Pushing herself up, staring forward and into the fire, she frowned. She knew why she couldn't sleep. Even though she was fairly tired after so many grueling events, she wasn't comfortable, because she still felt as if there was more to be done, because she needed to be with Link again, as if there was still a battle being fought somewhere that she couldn't reach because it didn't exist, and she couldn't rest without him close by.

Finally, she put her feet on the floor, not feeling too much of the cold because of the fire burning, and she pushed herself up in order to go to her bedroom door. She got the feeling that she could ask him, just for tonight, if he would stay with her, or let her stay with him, because she knew she would rest much easier with him near by.

It was then however, as she'd taken the doorknobs into her hands, that she heard the soft sound of a thud outside, and she looked back to the balcony doors where it had come from. Her lips parted when she saw Link through the glass windows lining the doors in ornate patterns, and she turned to go over to them with a smile on her face.

Unlocking and opening the balcony doors, she exclaimed softly, "Link! It's so late, what are you doing out here?" As an afterthought when a cool breeze blew in through the door while she took his hand to pull him into her room, she added, "It's cold!"

Shutting the doors again, about to turn around and hug him, she felt him doing so before she could even say anything else. "Link," she whispered, though she smiled and turned around to hug him back, "are you alright?"

"Couldn't sleep," he replied, allowing her to turn to face him, "and I was too afraid your father might kill me to just head out here in the open, so I snuck through a balcony to a guest room on the floor above us."

Zelda blinked her eyes and raised her brows. "How did you get down here?," she asked, pulling back slightly and looking up at his face in question.

Link was wearing a regular white tunic, a black belt, and a pair of tan pants and boots, so he didn't have any gear on his person, but he held up his hand and showed her the hookshot. "It makes a handy tool," he told her sheepishly.

Zelda couldn't help her soft laugh while still giving him a somewhat incredulous look. Then grinning and shaking her head, she took the instrument and set it on the bed side table. When she did, he asked her, "You couldn't sleep either, could you? You were standing at the door."

When he asked those questions and she turned to face him from the table she'd set his hookshot on, Zelda shook her head, whispering, "Link, I'm very tired, but I kept feeling like there was more to do, and I started worrying when I would almost drift off, trying to remember what our next step was, only to wake myself up and see you weren't there. It scared me until I remembered where I was, and then I had to try to go back to sleep again."

It'd been somewhat similar for him, he thought, drifting off, thinking to keep himself alert incase something happened along and attacked them once he was half asleep, only to wake himself up and have to remember why she wasn't there. Nodding his head, he turned and leaned down, lifting her up. After all, they both needed rest, and he wanted to be with her as much as she'd wanted to go to his own room. Zelda let him lift her, didn't say anything, just allowed him to carry her over to the bed and settle her on it.

Once he had, he backed up and pulled off his boots, then moved onto the mattress so he could get settled, listening while she asked him, "Are you going to stay here all night?"

He'd just yawned when she'd spoken - as tired as she was, if not a bit more so - and he nodded his head when he'd settled himself against the pillows next to her. She turned around and put her hands against his chest, snuggling face cheek against his shoulder close while he pulled the blankets over them both. Putting an arm around her own shoulder and back, he told her, "Definitely. At least for tonight. I want to be here with you."

The words made her smile, his warmth comforting her already, and she whispered, "Is it really all over with? I know it is, but I keep forgetting."

"Yes," he drew out softly, taking one of her hands as his eyes closed and his lips rested against the top of her head. "It's all over finally. We're both completely safe with nothing to worry about."

They were already starting to drift off to sleep with the comfort of one another's presence. Zelda squeezed his hand though and whispered, "Right now, I'm so happy."

"Because it's over?"

"Because you're here."

Though he was dozing, the words drew a little smile to his lips, and he kissed the top of her head. Groggily, he said softly as he drifted off to sleep with her, "I'll be here all night."


	72. Nothing More

_Chapter 71 - Nothing More_

_One Week Later_

The Coronation had been performed, and Zelda was now the crowned Princess of Hyrule.

It had been a lovely ceremony, and many had chattered over the fact that their Princess was indeed lovely - much to Link's chagrin since many of them had been men that he thought might have had a type of lovely in mind that he didn't want there - but he did have to agree that she looked completely gorgeous. Pride struck him in that regard when he'd watched her taking the crown in the beautiful white and pink gown that Bessa had made for her. While he watched, Link didn't think he had much to worry about. Rumor had spread that the Princess was involved, so hopefully it would keep ambitious suitors at bay.

At the end of the same Coronation ceremony, Link was knighted along with a few others who had fought bravely but not held a title before, and Link was dressed appropriately for the occasion in a white tunic and a cravat, applauded when he rose with the new title of nobility. It was a regal occasion to be sure, and was to be celebrated into the evening with a week long festival that would begin every night at sundown. The people had been looking forward to the occasion for the whole week.

In the skies, fireworks went off after the sun disappeared, and on that first evening, Zelda had a dance with her father in the ballroom of the Palace while everyone looked on in happiness for them both. The gown she'd worn to the ballroom had belonged to her mother before her, nearly a perfect fit, white from head to foot except for a blue outline to her bodice with flowers etched around the collar which was a scoop neck across her chest, short sleeves on her arms, and a skirt that flared out at the bottom around the slippers she wore. On her hands were arm length white gloves that matched the outfit, and on her head was a silver circlet embedded with blue jewels instead of the pink and gold she normally wore since the crown had previously, and also, belonged to Nissandra.

Her parents were both dressed very nicely as well, and it was definitely a wonderful experience for her to have a dance with her father. Following that dance and the applause for them which ensued it, she found herself swept up into conversation with several different people - some of which she knew, and others she'd only just met - chatting about any and everything, including the future of the kingdom with questions about both matters of governing as well as prospects of rebuilding and finances that she either hadn't thought of yet, or wasn't completely sure the direction of.

In a way, through those conversations, she was glad that she wouldn't become the Queen any time soon. Her parents weren't that old after all, in their later thirties now, and she had much to learn before she could really attempt to rule the kingdom as properly as she would have wanted to. Then again, it might have come to pass that she never took the title of Queen, simply depending on the flow of events, and another issue she had only recently considered was the possibility of brothers and sisters she may have ended up with. After all, her parents were in love, and whether planned or not, there was always the chance for that.

With the pondering of these things in mind of possible things to come, she also realized while she socialized and had a good laugh with several people, that she hadn't really been able to see Link much over the course of the past week. Mostly it was morning time or dinner when they got the chance to talk to one another, always with someone accompanying them however. She'd woken up twice to find him asleep next to her though, thinking it was somehow cute that he would come to her room after she'd drifted off to sleep to - as he explained it - just be with her because of the fact that they'd both been so preoccupied with several different issues.

Link had been busy with his father on several occasions. Hadinaru had explained earlier on in the week that he'd planned to knight Link at the coronation ceremony, and it was Lyonel's wish to not only introduce his son to the ways the groupings and ranks of knights and soldiers worked, since Link did, in fact, profess an interest to continue to serve the kingdom in such a way, but also to get his help in rebuilding those ranks and return the pride to them that they'd once had.

Link had learned much from his father, and he'd been busy most days with helping to rebuild parts of the barracks as well as to have their gear - such as armor and weapons - cleaned up for proper use again, which included the effort to gather materials and find craftsmen to make more of the items. Link, though sometimes he thought of Zelda and about how he would have liked to go find her and perhaps have a little lunch or take her into Hyrule Town to look at new shops that had recently reopened, couldn't say he regretted spending so much time with his father, and heard from his mother that she, Zelda, and Nissandra had found a good bit of time together over reading books in the library and talking about them.

Through these events between the ladies, Myriad had informed Link that Zelda did seem to miss his presence as well, and so he'd taken it upon himself to go to her room in the evenings, and both times he'd done so, he'd found her asleep, which disappointed him in a way, but she'd left her balcony doors unlocked, which told him she'd hoped he would come by. So he fell asleep next to her and she'd grinned whenever she'd woken up, having apparently liked the surprises both times he'd done it.

Besides these events, Link had also, as the king suggested, spent a good bit more time speaking with Hadinaru than he thought he might, even though the King's own preoccupation with restoring his kingdom to the glory it once had did distract him a good bit. But Hadinaru often made it as much of a point to drop by to see Link and his father and offer them help as he could. It was through Hadinaru as well that Zelda was told of how well Link was doing when they couldn't always speak with one another, and that he did seem to miss her because he asked about her nearly every time Hadinaru had seen him.

When the coronation ceremony was performed, and Link was knighted, Link adjourned to the ballroom with everyone else for the festival and watched Zelda dancing with her father. Myriad had stood with him, and she'd commented on how much like Nissandra her daughter looked, especially wearing the clothing that had once belonged to her.

Link, while watching, had thought about the decision he'd come to himself, one which he wanted to speak with his mother about, but not long following the dance, while Zelda's attention was taken by people with their socializing, Link decided that now was the best time to ask. But Myriad had left the ballroom to escort some of the Goron who'd been in Hyrule to the gates with a few other escorts so that they could return home to their own city and have their celebration. She didn't return very quickly however, leaving him to wonder where she had gone to.

So Link, when the King and Queen passed him, asked of they'd seen his mother, having an important matter he needed to speak with her over. Nissandra thought about it, and Hadinaru told him she was likely taking a break from socializing, sitting on the patio downstairs like she usually liked to in order to have some time by herself. Thanking them, Link went to go find her.

Sitting on the patio, just as Hadinaru had suggested, Myriad, in a gown of white lace and ornate silver patterns, sat with the back of her hair rolled up into a tuck along the nape of her neck, the front of her hair hanging free in waves. She was holding something in her hands which she was smiling at, and when she heard a few steps, she looked up to see who was coming toward her.

"Link," she smiled as her eyes met that of her son's, slipping down on the stone bench she'd had a seat upon while the fire works went off in the skies overhead. Patting the spot she'd been sitting in, she told him, "I made it warm for you."

Link chuckled softly as he'd sat down. But considering how she'd spoken her words, he narrowed a brow and asked her, "You didn't...know I was coming, did you?"

Myriad lifted a brow as she watched him, then she suddenly snickered over the notion that she might've foreseen him coming to join him, and it made him grin. After their brief amusement had passed, Link went on, "You're not cold out here, are you?"

"No," she shook her head, "actually I feel rather refreshed to experience such weather again. I wanted to enjoy it. But don't worry," she stopped him before he started, "if you've any of your father in you, you'll surely tell me to hurry inside before I catch ill. I promise I'll do so the moment I feel a real shiver."

Link grinned, over the past week having noticed that there was a vast difference between knowing her personally and knowing her as the Sage that was renowned by the people of the Kingdom as he had before she'd been released from the Sacred Realm. But he found himself curious over something he hadn't asked yet, saying, "You've got such a thick accent. Were you really born in Hyrule?"

She always spoke properly, and Link couldn't put his finger on the region. Smirking, Myriad told him, "Actually, yes, but my parents raised me in their native kingdom for the first few years of my life, so I picked up the accent from them."

"I see now," he nodded, thinking it made perfect sense since he'd yet to travel to other kingdoms properly. That's when he glanced at her hand, and seeing what she was holding, he asked, "So, what have you been looking at?"

Myriad smiled at the paper she held, and explained it to him. "A letter your father sent me when he had to go away for a while before you were even a thought. It was his way of telling me that when he returned, he wanted me to have considered marriage."

Marriage, Link thought, smirking a bit. Oddly enough, the very thing he was coming down to see her about. So with the subject raised, he told her, "That's ironic, because I had the same thing on my mind."

Myriad smiled brightly over the news, and she reached out to take his hand, her own gloved, so they weren't really all that cold just yet. "You want to ask Zelda?"

He nodded, and Myriad seemed very happy over the news, reaching up to give him a hug and to kiss his cheek, sitting back after exclaiming, "How wonderful!" Once she'd sat back, she regarded him quietly, a sparkle in her sea blue eyes, and she waved the hand holding the letter in question, "Why haven't you yet? Oh, I see," she gave him a knowing look, "still needing my advice?"

"Always, you're my Mother," Link smirked, and his joke got a chuckle and an affectionate rub of his arm.

"Then," she settled the letter into her lap and asked, "what can I do to help?"

"Hmm," he thought for a moment, turning his face to hers while lifting a brow, "how about breaking the news to her father for me. I think he hates me."

"Nonsense," Myriad replied without wasting a moment. "Why would he hate you? You've only saved his kingdom, his life, his daughter, his," she stopped herself as she'd counted them out on each finger, considering her last word with a roll of her eyes, "wife."

"Nice rhyme," Link chuckled out, then shook his head. "I know, he doesn't hate me, I mean that's obvious. But when it comes to Zelda, he always acts grumpy around me, stern somehow."

"Well, as he'd say, he acts stern with everyone just to keep them on their toes," Myriad chuckled softly. "Honestly, you'll be fine if you ask her. If you're afraid–"

"I'm not," he interjected.

"Nervous," Myriad amended with a little smirk on her lips, "about asking her, then just tell Hadinaru what you would like to do. But I can assure you, he'll accept you into his family with open arms, my son."

Sighing out his breath, considering this and that she was probably right, Link looked over at her and smiled, "Alright, I'll keep that in mind."

He still felt a little bit hesitant about the entire issue, after all, the man had just met his daughter again. Nissandra, on the other hand, didn't seem to have any problem at all, but fathers were always more protective. Still, Myriad hadn't lied, so Link needed to remember her words so that he could worry less about interfering with Zelda and Hadinaru's relationship while it was still being developed.

Myriad nodded over his words, looking his smiling face over. With a sigh, she shook her head, telling him, "I find myself trying not to become sentimental whenever I look at you, but I just cannot help myself. Especially when you smile. It makes me think of you when you were a baby and first began to do so."

Link listened, not minding the sentimental talk at all, asking her, "Was I cute then too?"

"Always," she chuckled out. "I still remember the way you looked up at me when you were born. So quiet and inquisitive."

Link got curious, turning to face her, asking, "You know, Father said you named me, but he never elaborated. I got the feeling he wanted you to tell me yourself."

Looking down in thought over the tale, smiling, Myriad replied, "He thinks I enthrall when I tell stories. I say it's the accent everyone hears. He insists that I do a good job though. But, perhaps he really did simply want me to tell you since it was a name I gave you." Looking up at him, she took in her breath and started, glancing out at the snow that laid lightly dusting the tree branches and the shrubbery surrounding them, "It was a very cold night, much colder than this one, snows and frigid winds."

Leaning back against the seat she was in, she continued, "Once I could no longer conceal my pregnancy with clothing, I stayed at the Temple of Light while I was carrying you, kept myself very scarce from Hyrule, and had Impa and Lyonel tell everyone I was on missionary work for a while though the truth was that I was still in my bunk. One day, close to when I was due, Lyonel had come to stay with me at the Temple for the birth - Impa as well since she is trained as a midwife - I went into labor."

Tilting her head, she smiled in remembering it, shaking her head, "I was stubborn, and didn't want to cause a fuss until it was closer to the time for delivery, so I stayed quiet. In the evening, the pains had gotten worse, and I was just about to tell him that it was time for you to arrive when he came and told me that Dragmire was heading to the Temple with suspicions that I had returned from my missionary work."

Link pursed his lips over the words, narrowing his brows in annoyance. But he was hanging onto every word so far, and he asked, "What happened?"

"We rode away in a carriage since I was too far along to ride on a horse," Myriad replied, looking over at him with raised brows. "In the middle of my worst labor pains, we rode to hide through biting cold winds, and I could only handle so much before I told Lyonel to quickly find somewhere to stop. In doing so, I was joined on the back of the carriage where you were born." With a sigh, she smirked, "Lyonel was so upset with me for keeping it a secret, until he saw you, that was. He just kept telling me 'He's beautiful, Myriad. He's so beautiful'."

Link smiled to hear how his father reacted to his delivery and seeing him for the very first time. But he didn't interrupt at all, eager to hear the rest of the story. Myriad seemed fond of the memory herself, looking at the letter over which she held in her white gloved hands before adding more to the story. "Impa handed you to me all bundled up in soft blankets we'd brought, and I looked at you, speechless, unable to think, and the word link came out of my mouth."

Link narrowed his brows, but allowed her to continue without question.

"Link," she said again, as if repeating what she'd spoken all those years ago, "His name is Link." Looking over at her son, she continued her explanation, "Why Link, Lyonel asked me," then she paused for a moment before she answered that question, "'because he is what links the three of us together forever' I told him."

Seeing how his name came about finally, Link glanced down and smiled, unable to help but think about it for a few minutes. It was another piece of his past he had never known about, and was very glad to be able to now. Sighing, he finally said, "I'm glad my name wasn't changed like Zelda's was. It makes so much more sense now."

Myriad smiled, glad to see he was happy to know the meaning behind his name now, and glad that she'd been able to provide that information to him, hoping that it allowed him to connect with his parents more after so many years of not knowing them. Another cold breeze picked up and over them while they thought about this, and with it, Myriad saw someone else joining the scene, looking behind Link, who also turned with her glance, to see Lyonel stepping toward them. He was wearing a white blazer that had hung low down and around his thighs with a silver trim along the edges and the folded cuffs, as well as a black vest beneath it with silver patterns up the center and around the buttons. His hair was pulled back neatly into a ponytail, and he looked every bit as dressed for the festival in the attire he wore as all of the others about did.

Once he came to a stop near the bench where his family sat, about five feet from it, he spoke, "I'd wondered where you two were, considering the festival really just began. Myriad, it's cold out here. I don't want you to get sick."

Lyonel had just been honest, so he was a bit surprised to see his wife and son sharing a grin between one another, and he shook his head over it confusion. "What did I say?"

"Nothing, my love," Myriad chuckled softly. She then watched Link standing and offering her his hand, which she took and stood as well, thanking him for his help, before she looked over toward her husband who approached them both more closely. Once he had, she explained what they'd been talking about.

"Link came to ask me both about his name," she smirked, then added, "as well as to get my advice over marriage."

"Marriage?" Lyonel asked, then gave his son a look. He knew all too well what the meaning behind that was, and he smiled and put a hand on Link's shoulder, "So, you're ready to ask?"

"I've been ready for a long while now, but I couldn't because of the uncertainty of our futures," he replied, but then nodded with a smile, "but now I think is a good time."

Smiling at his son and giving him an encouraging pat on the back, Lyonel's attention was drawn to Myriad when she added, "And I think I have the perfect thing to help. Lyonel, you'll have to assist me in finding it though. I'm not sure where you could have put it."

Lyonel wondered what she'd meant, but he was the one who had all of the belongings they'd managed to salvage after everything that had happened, so he knew she was right, whatever it was she wanted to help him find. Along with Link, they both asked at the same time, "What's that?" Once the words were spoken, they exchanged a humored glance, and then waited for Myriad to inform them of her answer.

"You'll see," she smiled at them both, heading past them and toward the large double doors that came to a pointed arc at the top which led back inside, "come on. I'm starting to feel that actual chill I was speaking of earlier."

With a smile, Link accompanied her and his father back inside of the Palace.

---

It was a short while later into the evening when the King and Queen found Zelda and Link on a balcony of the ballroom with fireworks going off outside, apparently watching them together. When they spotted their daughter with her closest friend and her love interest, it dawned on them that they hadn't seen either together and alone in a week, and so, even though they commented to one another on it, they didn't bother the two young ones.

"So that's where they went," Nissandra commented when they first spied the two together, looking up at her husband and putting a hand on his arm.

He had a bland expression on his face, sighing out, "It's not as if they haven't earned it, and then some."

Nissandra smiled over the comment, informing him in return, "It's not as if you'll have to give her up, you know? You'll just be gaining a son."

With the words, he blinked and looked down at her, "Why, do you think he's proposed?"

Nissandra snickered softly, and with a shake of her head, she replied, "I don't know, but it would be nice if he did." Then she looked at Hadinaru with pursed lips and a thoughtful expression. "But you, my lord, need to stop being so stern with him when it comes to her, otherwise he never will."

"I'm stern with everyone," Hadinaru excused, "keeps them on their toes."

That was a line he always used, Nissandra considered, and she tugged on his arm with a grin, saying, "Well, you can be stern later, let's give them their privacy. Come on."

Grumbling, he turned around and started to walk with her, considering Link for just a moment. He liked Link, would have considered him a son to be quite honest about it. He wouldn't call it being stern with him when it came to Zelda however as much as it was just trying to gauge his character and see how he really did feel about her. There were no doubts in his mind that Link did, in fact, love Zelda completely, none whatsoever. And he'd already seen what the young man would do in order to protect her, so it wasn't a test on Hadinaru's part. He supposed, however, if he had to explain why he was doing it, it was simply because he wanted to be Zelda's father and protect her, so to speak, even if she didn't really need it in this instance, feeling safe that his actions wouldn't hinder anything.

Except perhaps a marriage proposal. But Hadinaru felt that in some slight way, it might have been a good thing. After all, love tended to blind to reality, and he didn't want the two of them to run off and try to get hitched too soon so to speak.

Stopping when they came toward the area near the quintet playing some fairly festive music which filled the bar room, Hadinaru turned to look about when his sight suddenly came across a purple fairy while he'd been thinking all of this. She surprised him just a bit, prompting him to chuckle and say, "Oh, I almost didn't see you."

"Hi!," Nissa snickered out. "I just wanted to meet you finally, _Mira's_ parents. I still call her that sometimes."

"Ah, I see," Hadinaru nodded, "you're the fairy that stayed with her for a while during Impa's care."

"Yes, I'm Nissa, pleased to meet you," she grinned and bowed in midair, then went on, looking at the Queen, "you know, I was named after you because of the help you gave our people so long ago. It's good to meet my namesake finally."

Nissandra looked surprised slightly surprised over the comment of their names, asking, "Really? You mean the order to build the dams I made in my husband's absence before the forests and your homes could be flooded?"

"Yep!," Nissa snickered, "That's the one. But, I don't have much time to talk. Shamrock promised me more sugar berries and I wanted to meet him for them before he left. We can all talk later however, right?"

"Of course," Hadinaru replied, "you're free to request us any time. We'd like to hear your stories of Zelda as a child."

"Really!?," she seemed excited. "Wonderful! I'll try to remember the best ones! Oh, the way I met them was interesting. That one will be first!" Looking back, Nissa saw Shamrock heading to the door across the room and her wings tinkled with sound. "Oh! I've gotta go! Bye!"

Chuckling, the royals said good bye as she flew off and Nissandra commented, "It's good to hear these things."

"What's that in specific?"

"Well," she started before looking up at him, "that Zelda and Link both seemed to have some very good people surrounding them growing up. The more I hear, the more it makes me feel much better."

She was right, he considered, also knowing it had to be true because they'd both grown into very honest and upright individuals. Hadinaru nodded his head in response to her words, hugging her to his side gently with his arm over her shoulders, and he looked down, a smile upon his face. To top it all off, everyone seemed to be having a good time in the wake of the accomplishments the children - children to their parents eyes - had made, and the evening was filled with nothing but happy talking and smiles.

Hadinaru had to say it was definitely one of the higher notes of his life.

Zelda hadn't had much of a different line of thinking than her father. It was decidedly nice to have the people seem to be in such high spirits, and she hoped it stayed that way. They were all looking toward the future and living completely in the present, trying to wash away the past. She wouldn't have had it any other way.

Eventually, after talking to so many people about such things, for a little quiet time, she'd found her way out onto the balcony to watch the fireworks, leaning her elbow on the railing. She'd been a child when she'd last seen the colorful displays and really wanted to enjoy them now, thinking back to a conversation she'd had with Link when watching them in Kakariko.

The thought of Link made her wonder where he'd gone to again, but no one had seen him for at least twenty minutes or so, and finally she'd just gone to be alone for a short while with her thoughts. After all, this festival would be a week long. They had a lot of time to be able to share in the festivities, and Link had already promised to take her out to play some of the games that were set up at some point. It was going to be a lot of fun. Lifting a hand, she leaned her jaw against it with that thought and just let herself take in the beauty of the exploding lights in the sky while wondering where he might've been tugged off to like she'd been tugged around lately, a little smile lighting her face.

He spied her, alone on the balcony, and smiled himself. It was his chance to not only do what he'd wanted to, but also to just have some alone time with her for once. Having just come back to the ballroom from visiting with his mother, Link didn't waste a moment and went toward her, having to admit that it was definitely the perfect setting for what he intended.

He was almost there when Nissa popped up, but she'd just wanted to say hello. When Link saw her, he looked back and then asked her to run interference so he could talk alone with Zelda for a while. The comment made the fairy grin and giggle, and she promised to do so thoroughly. Watching her flitter away to hide and swoop down on any people who might've interrupted them while they were alone, Link grinned and turned to do what he'd been heading toward before.

Zelda snapped out of the daydream she'd been having when she felt a pair of arms moving around her from behind, but then immediately smiled when Link laid his head on her shoulder and grumbled against her ear softly. "Why does everyone want to talk to us?," he muttered out.

She snickered and looked back, unable to see anyone very close to them at all, and then she watched him lifting his head to look at her. Giving him the smile she'd made over his words, she chimed in wisely, "Maybe it's because we're both so cute."

He remembered her telling him that all of the time when they were children being picked on for their ears, and he grinned over the comment, looking up from her face when an explosion of green and blue appeared in the sky. The light's caught both of their attention, two of them beginning to spiral up before bursting into white and red before fading away for more to follow.

"Do you remember these when we were children?"

Zelda had asked the question softly, and Link nodded, "I remember you getting upset when I snuck onto the roof of the grocery shop so that we could see them better, but then telling me it was a great idea."

She grinned when he mentioned that, adding, "I thought we would get into big trouble if we got caught, but everyone was too busy looking at the sky to see us."

The talks made them both smile, and Link glanced at her face next to his, seeing the color of the lights exploding reflecting off of her face and in her eyes, glinting brightly. He felt a good bit of anticipation in that moment, and tightened his hold on her. When that happened, he saw her smiling even more brightly before she began turning against him slightly in order to lay her head on his upper chest. Watching her, he lowered his face so that his lips were slightly resting against her brow, and asked, "You know what you said, about us being cute?"

"Mmm hmm," she drew out languidly, just content that he was there, keeping her warmer than she was without him watching the fireworks alone, waiting for him to continue.

"I wish we weren't. I've missed you."

She closed her eyes and nodded slowly, felt his hand wandered to her cheek. When he rubbed it, she nuzzled the opposite cheek against his shoulder quietly. "I haven't told you I love you in a week now."

Link sighed in a breath over the words, considering how it was true, and how nice it felt to just be here with her despite the fact that he did in fact have an ulterior motive. As he considered it, he felt her hand on the back of his against her cheek as if to hold it there, silently telling him that she loved the closeness.

He hadn't gotten much of a chance to tell her that either, and right now, he wanted to more than anything. So in response to her words, he closed his eyes and whispered them to her sincerely, "I love you more than anything else."

Zelda was content to not even move, unless it might've been to kiss him, but she also didn't want to break any of his current contact with her. She'd thought that was going to be all he had to say as well, but when she heard him speaking again, his words made her breath catch in her throat. "When we were in the Sacred Realm, and I was fighting, I thought I'd been bested. But I heard you yelling my name, and I knew I had to get back up somehow. I just couldn't lay there no matter how bad it hurt. I couldn't let you sound that scared without fighting back, doing _something_ in opposition to what was happening."

Tears had filled her eyes when he'd spoken those words. Just from his tone of voice alone, so soft and sincere, she knew he was telling the complete truth, and it flattered her completely. She looked up at him, her brows narrowed and those tears that had watered up in her eyes fell down her cheeks. Taking in a heavy breath, sniffling, she asked while he reached to dry them, "You heard me?"

He nodded slowly. Staring at her, he felt his throat going dry, unable to ignore how beautiful she was, the way she looked at him, the light of the fireworks glinting in her hair. While he took her in, she added, "You got back up for me when you did?" Her breathing got shaky, and her words went on, "You fought for me, saved me, saved my parents, you...," she couldn't help herself. It really was all too much to take in, and she started sobbing, hugged him tightly while burying her face against his chest. "I love you! I can't say it enough, Link."

Despite the fact that the words had been spoken somewhat loudly, they were muffled against his tunic, and Link held her tightly, shushing her softly.

"Don't cry, Zelda," he breathed out, adding, "I don't like it when you cry."

"Even if I'm happy?"

"It's still hard to see," he told her with a soft snort of amusement. "But it's not as bad. You might not like hearing this either, but if I had to, I'd do it all again."

He heard her gasp of laughter as she grinned over the way he'd put it so playfully, yet with a seriousness which somehow told her he'd meant it. With the emotion it evoked in her, she nuzzled her cheek against his chest affectionately.

Pushing his fingers up and through her hair while she did, he went on, "I'd do it again after that too, as long as it kept you smiling. You're the one who's always supported me when I didn't know I had anything else in this world to do so. Even then–"

Zelda couldn't hold back anymore, and before he could finish, she turned and leaned up, pressing her mouth to his and kissing him deeply. The sudden movement had surprised him just a slight bit because she'd done it so quickly, but he returned that affection without pause, still holding her as tightly against himself as he could. It wasn't a slow kiss, but instead it was filled with passion, one akin to the times they'd become intimate and made love, their hearts beginning to pound in response to one another.

It lasted for several long moments, the unspoken words between them that they'd already said and now wanted to show. But Link wanted to finish his statement, and so for the time being, he slowly pulled his lips from hers in order to do so. Following that movement, he whispered, "Even then, there's one thing I haven't done for you yet."

Opening her eyes upon hearing the words, Zelda was about to whisper the question of what it might've been to him when he took her left hand. Lifting his opposite, she stared when a glinting light was cast off of an object he'd just pulled from his pocket into his right hand, a stone set in a silver band, a white diamond being slipped down onto her ring finger. The fit was just a slight bit tight with the glove she wore, meaning it would probably fit perfectly without it, and she could only stare at the ring before she watched him slipping down onto a knee.

Her hand in his, she closed her eyes, trying to keep her emotions inside, enabling herself to take a deep breath and open them again as a few tears slipped down her cheeks quietly, the fireworks behind her casting flashes of blue and pink down before a burst of green spiraled through the air. The explosions in the distance weren't loud enough however to drown out his words, weren't even noticed for that matter.

"I don't need it soon, I know we're both still getting to know our parents and even ourselves in a way, and we need some time with that. But I was wondering if, when we're both ready, you might do me the honor of being my wife?"

She'd squeezed his hand and simply nodded her head swiftly without thought to it, choking over the words she wanted to say so for that moment, she remained silent. It didn't seem sudden to her, not at all, not with how well she knew him, but she was still overwhelmed that he was asking her - as he'd said he would when she'd curiously questioned him over it - to marry him. More tears joined the first, and she simply slipped down before him and wrapped her arms around his neck for a hug.

He'd smiled over her reaction, pulling her to himself tightly, hearing her whispered words against his ear while he pushed himself back up to stand slowly so she wouldn't have to bend as she'd done, drawing her up with him.

"I would love nothing more, Link."

"That's all I wanted to hear," he replied, and while he knew she'd said she would agree to such a request, it somehow felt relieving to have asked, to know the answer, hear the words spoken from her lips. Turning, he kissed her throat, then her jaw, adding, "I love you."

Zelda smiled over the way he seemed so appeased to have her agreement, as if he might've been worried she'd say no, and it made her heart flutter. Slowly, she drew an arm from around him just long enough to wipe her eyes before she gazed back up at his face, asking, "How do you think our parents will take it?"

Link smirked a little sheepishly over that question, "Mother is the one who gave me the ring. It was hers, and she thought it would be fitting. I agreed with her. Father helped her find the ring, but we both already know his feelings over it all."

"Then it's just my parents who don't know, or do they?"

"No, they don't know I was going to ask yet. I'm," he lifted a brow and then cleared his throat, "worried about what Hadinaru might say." Then he added sheepishly, "Or do."

She grinned at him suddenly, and taking his hand, she shook her head, "He likes you, Link. I don't know why you'd be worried."

Link sighed and replied, "Because you're his only daughter he lost when you were three days old and now I'm trying to take you away from him?"

"After you returned me to begin with," she replied in counter. "I think he'll be thrilled. Especially since, whenever we get married, he'll actually be there for the wedding."

Link got a thoughtful look on his face, and then nodded slowly, "That's true, I never thought of it that way."

The words made her seem happy somehow, and tightening her grip on his hand, she urged him, "Let's go tell them."

Not that he was against it, but Link did a slight double take, a bit surprised she already wanted to do so. "Right now?"

Zelda nodded. "Why not? If not now, then when?"

"I don't know, later," he trailed off, clearing his throat before adding quietly, "a day before the wedding."

Zelda started snickering, then she playfully batted at his arm, "Stop being immature, they'll see the ring long before that. So you either tell them now, or run away and let them find out on their own. _That_ would make him mad, more than likely."

With a sigh, Link told her, "I know, but I was hopeful." He grinned at her, the expression telling her he wasn't being completely serious at all, and put an arm around her back before he started walking her into the ballroom with the words, "Alright, let's tell them."

Zelda smiled at him, but she stopped before they could start walking, saying, "Wait, hold the ring."

Link, narrowing his brows, took the ring when she handed it to him, and he watched her pulling off her gloves so she could wear it properly. It made him smile to see, and once she was done, she took the ring from him once again, slipping it back onto her finger before she saw him offering her his arm properly.

Grinning, she took it. Once set to go give them their news, they both just hoped that, in trying to find the King and Queen, they weren't stopped by a million and one people beforehand to talk for a while again. If so, that announcement might've had to wait until tomorrow.


	73. Always Tomorrow

_Chapter 72 - Always Tomorrow_

The royals had adjourned to the Throne Room when Link and Zelda went to search them out, which in a way seemed like perfect timing since they didn't want to make a huge fuss in the ballroom with the conversation they wanted to have. Link heard Hadinaru when they stepped into the throne room. Hearing the door in turn, the King and Queen looked over to see them walking inside and Link shutting the doors behind himself. Whatever they'd been speaking of must have simply been casual and idle chit chat, because they both didn't seem to be disappointed by the interruption at all.

"We're not intruding, are we?," Zelda asked while she stepped over toward them with Link.

"Of course not," Hadinaru shook his head, standing near the center of the room in front of the Throne. Nissandra had been admiring a portrait hung on the wall and was making sure it was settled straight and evenly, the portrait of which what the younger Hylians thought they might have been discussing since Hadinaru had spoken something along the lines of former rulers in the Kingdom. But he added in welcome, "Please, come in. We were wanting to see the two of you earlier, but we thought to give you some privacy."

The words surprised Link, whom asked, "You did? I mean, want to see us?"

Hadinaru smiled, then nodded his head, "Not for anything specific, we'd just been curious over where you'd wandered off to."

Hearing this, Link nodded slowly in understanding, and he looked at Zelda. When he did, she glanced up at him and lifted a brow, then smiled. Nissandra watched the exchange of looks as she turned around to head back toward where her husband stood, and Zelda looked back at the two of them, able to tell from his look that he thought she should be the one to start off just because they were her parents.

The glances had made the Queen curious however, and she asked, "So, what have you two been up to? Talking?"

"Yes," she started, looking over at her mother before she continued, "Link and I did discuss something rather important to us."

"What's that?" Nissandra asked with a little smile, and her attention was drawn to Link when he finished for Zelda.

"Well," he cleared his throat, taking Zelda's left hand and holding it out to them, "I asked her if she would be my wife whenever we're ready to do so, once we've had enough time here to be who we are now."

"I agreed," Zelda added before more words could be spoken, "but we want your blessings. Myriad and Lyonel gave Link this ring which was in her family and they both thought it should be passed on. So I wanted to come and tell you about it."

Once she was done explaining that, Link watched them both - specifically Hadinaru - and he saw Nissandra smiling before she headed to take her daughter's hand and have a look at the ring. Hadinaru, on the other hand, had a flat face though, and Link tried his best to keep from cringing. As he did, the King asked, "A real wedding, correct? Not like that one in the Goron City?"

Link went wide eyed and snapped his head toward Zelda, asking her, "You told him about that?"

He heard Nissandra let a quiet snicker and Hadinaru scoffing softly. Link looked back toward the King with a smile that was partially sheepish on his face. As soon as he thought he was going to be hanged however, Hadinaru finally cracked a grin and laughed, giving Link a friendly smack on the arm before exclaiming, "We were wondering how long it'd take you to ask."

He'd been jesting all along, and Link remembered his own mother's words that he did it to keep people on their toes. In that moment, Link figured he was certainly good at it because he always looked completely serious whenever he gave those expressions. Nissandra must have known as well because she'd simply been smiling the entire time, which told Link she probably knew her husband wasn't being serious, otherwise - since she apparently liked the idea of the two of them getting married - she would have at least said something to her husband in reprimand.

He'd have to start watching her for indications on the King's demeanor, he figured, and in the meantime, he just smiled at Hadinaru and let the two of them hug and congratulate them. Once they'd stepped back from Zelda and Link, Nissandra told them, "It's a lovely ring. Myriad had wonderful tastes anyway." Her grin as she looked up at her husband for his agreement was nothing but charming.

Hadinaru nodded, looking down at her, adding, "Yes, she has saved me on several an occasion from looking less than fashionable."

The words made the three people with him smile and snicker softly, but it was then that Hadinaru told them, "You know however, it _will_ have to be made official. Not until you two are ready of course, but we'll need to make an announcement in the courts."

Both of them nodded, and Zelda told him, "I thought as much, but for now, I think we're just both content to settle in here first, then make things more concrete once we've done so."

"Good, good," Hadinaru smiled as he spoke those words earnestly, nodding his head toward them in explanation. "I'm glad to hear this. It shows you're thinking instead of rushing into something just because you love each other so much and you've had your whole lives together. But you have our blessings. Once you two do wed, I'm sure, if this is an indication, that you'll both have your plans figured out."

Zelda was completely serious when she replied with a nod of her head, "We already have actually. I own a home in Kakariko Village. We'll be moving there once we're wed."

Hadinaru went wide eyed, Nissandra lifted a brow, and Link gave Zelda a look that said he was completely confused and surprised. It was then, before Link could even ask what she was talking about that Hadinaru snapped out, "By the three Goddesses you won't! You're staying here!"

Zelda had already began snickering softly when he said that, and she slowly nodded her head, "I know, I was jesting."

Nissandra pursed her lips while Hadinaru grumbled, shaking her head at her daughter before she heard her husband replying, "You sounded so serious. I should have known."

"Well, I thought I'd keep you on your toes," Zelda smiled as she spoke those words, "After all, like Father, like Daughter? I wanted to see your reaction."

Hadinaru started laughing before he drew his daughter over with the words to give him a proper hug, and while they did, Link sighed out a breath of relief.

"You know, the next time you do that, I hope I'm in on the joke. I thought I was about to be strangled for talking you into such an idea."

Nissandra let a little laugh, patting Link's shoulder soothingly, and she chided Zelda playfully, "I think you might have actually scared him."

"Not much can," Link informed Nissandra, "but your daughter seems to know all of the right levers to pull."

The honestly spoken words got Hadinaru to laughing even more when he released Zelda and let her step back from him, watching as she gave Link an apologetic look. Link just smirked at her and then looked at her parents. "I have to admit I was a little nervous about telling you both also. I didn't know if it would be too soon when you've only just met her again."

"Oh no," Nissandra started before Hadinaru could say anything, "we both want to see her happy, and you seem to be one of the things that make her so. If we can witness these parts of her life and the events that lead her down such a road, especially her wedding, then we're content."

Link gave the Queen an appreciative smile, and he looked over at the King in turn when the man placed a hand onto his shoulder. "I realize I've been stern when it comes to my daughter with you, but I've simply wanted to be her father as I never could before. But if she's to be wed, I can think of no other man I'd rather call my son."

Link gave him the same smile he'd offered to his wife and a nod of his head, thinking about how Myriad had told him that he would be welcomed with open arms into their family. In knowing now that they would be accepted to those that mattered most to them, Link felt accomplishment on an entirely new level, and he got the feeling that Zelda shared in the same sentiments with him.

Maybe there would be tests further down the road for the both of them, and more than likely, there would be, since life was all a trial and error in many ways, full of tests of character and strength. Even though they'd overcome what both of them considered would more than likely be the trial that would set the course for all others, the hardest fight they would more than likely ever attempt to resolve, and had done exactly what they'd set out to almost flawlessly, they looked forward to the things that would continue to be brought to them.

Nothing was ever absolute. There was always tomorrow.

Sitting against a tree on a hillside looking toward the yards where the courtyard was settled several weeks later, Epona and Frost grazing near by, Link considered this before he looked up at the sky, then heard Zelda asking, "Rupee for your thoughts?"

Turning his head to glance down at her as she was settled against his side, having met her for a little picnic they'd decided to have since she'd heard the workload was a heavy one that afternoon, Link shook his head and told her, "Just considering the future I suppose."

With a little smile on her face, Zelda reached down and took his hand, laying her head comfortably against his shoulder. Link closed his eyes when she did and just rested, completely relaxed - or he would have if a nudge from his horses nose against his shoulder hadn't made him grin and look up at her.

"Epona, I've got a lot of work to do later, let me rest for a few minutes."

The horse snorted, and Zelda snickered when she heard the sound. Things were so different, yet somehow still the same as they had been before. She rested comfortably in that knowledge, and like Link had just told her, considered the future. As a breeze blew up and around the two of them, keeping warm in their cloaks and with one another, she considered how it would be interesting to see where that course would take them.


	74. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

Seasons later, there were two weddings for the same couple. One was held in the Palace of Hyrule, with a filled assembly hall, white roses, and huge, crystal chandeliers as some of the decor for the wedding of a royal. The other was a much more down to earth ceremony that was performed by the Goron Magistrate in the Village of Kakariko.

The second wedding was attended by many people, but mostly just close friends and relatives. It was a much more symbolic ceremony that held tribute to the younger lives of the bride and groom, and was ended with a carriage carrying that couple off, two horses pulling it, one brown, the other white.

Later, twin brother and sister were born, and this time, there was nothing to part them from their parents.

The Legacy continued on.

_The End_


	75. Credits

_**Credits**_

_**Dedication**_

_This story is dedicated to Michelle. Thanks for helping me to come up with the idea, and for being supportive through thick and thin. You've always helped me to feel better about myself, and I hope I've done the same for you!_

_**Legend of Zelda**_

_A big shout out goes to Nintendo for creating this amazing series of games which, like it's core characters, has stood the test of time and remained epic classics! I hope I've done it a little justice in some way!_

_**Soundtrack**_

_Like so many other authors, I tend to listen to a good bit of music while I write. For me, it helps to aide the creative process, and I thought I would add this section here incase anyone might be wondering what helped to create the ideas for the events of this story._

_So without further ado, here is the soundtrack, most of which can be found on youtube if you'd like to hear the songs, and with them, chapters and events which may have been inspired almost solely by one song (because it happens a lot LoL xD!) These also aren't all of the songs, but it IS a good chunk of them._

_1. Legend of Zelda - 'The Goddess Appears (Orchestrated)' - I used this song for almost any scene related to Myriad._

_2. Legend of Zelda - 'Zelda's Lullaby (Orchestrated)' - Another classic of course xD!_

_3. Legend of Zelda - Darkesword - 'Ancient Hero (Remix)' - Used for several key scenes, and inspired most of Chapter 31 - Nautical Mishap, as well as earlier action sequences in the fiction._

_4. X-Ray Dog - 'Here Comes the King' - Chapter 42 - Testament._

_5. X-Ray Dog - 'Gothic Power' - Chapter 42 - Testament._

_6. X-Ray Dog - 'City of Gold' - Used this one for several scenes as well, but mostly it inspired Chapter 55 - Temple of Spirit III and Chapter 59 - Time Will Tell._

_7. X-Ray Dog - 'Apassionata' - Final boss fight music anyone? XD! This was the theme I used for Chapter 68 - Courage._

_8. X-Ray Dog - 'Mystic Knights' - Sole driving force behind the events in Chapter 66 - Dark Palace II._

_9. X-Ray Dog - 'The Odyssey" - Chapter 62 - Final Battle._

_10. X-Ray Dog - 'Dark River" - I used this song for transitional parts of the story, especially when involving emotional character development._

_11. Klaus Badelt - "Dark Horse" - Just a good song for when things grow dark. Used it for several parts of the Dark Palace chapters and later on into the story._

_**Sequel Anyone!? xD**_


End file.
